Five industrial focal points set for revival

Sanjay Bumbroo

Advertisement

Tribune News Service

Fatehgarh Sahib, October 1

Industrial focal points set up in the state in 2002 are likely to see the light of the day as five of them have been selected in the five districts of the state under cluster development scheme of the Central Government.

The five districts that have been selected include Fatehgarh Sahib, Ludhiana, Hoshiarpur, Amritsar and Gurdaspur. In Fatehgarh Sahib, the industrial focal point at Khamano has been selected and a comprehensive plan is being formulated by experts at Guru Nanak Dev University in Amritsar.

Additional Deputy Commissioner (Development) Hardial Singh Chatha said under the cluster development scheme, the state government would submit a detailed project for the revival of these industrial focal points to the Centre.

He said the plan was to provide basic infrastructure facilities, including roads, water and electricity, so that industrial plot owners could start their micro and small enterprises at these focal points.

At least two focal points were announced by the SAD government in 2002, but in the absence of any infrastructural support like roads, water and electricity, these focal points could not see the light of the day. The successive governments had also failed to initiate steps to formulate any policy to make these focal points functional.

One of the industrial plot owners at Khamano, Jasbir Singh, said there were a total of 42 plots ranging from 4 kanals to 10 marla.

“Only four units could start and later only two units, including his saw machine, were functioning and that two are on the verge of closure,” he said.

He added that he had been paying Rs 3,440 to the panchayat as rent for the plot allotted to him on the 99-year leasehold system. He said in the absence of roads, the situation worsens during rain.

Jasbir Singh said the major problem was in seeking bank loans. Banks deny them loan as plots were been registered in their names. He said most of the youths 15 years ago had applied for the plots in the hope of getting bank loans to start new ventures.