Chandigarh industry urges attention to long-pending demands

While addressing media on Wednesday, the members said that before every elections, the political leaders assure a resolution of their demands by including them in their manifestoes, but to no avail

The members of Joint Forum of Industrial Associations on Wednesday lashed out at leaders of political parties and officers of the UT administration for ignoring their demands pending for the past two decades. Joint Forum of Industrial Associations is a body of 10 industrial, trader and commercial unions.

Joint Forum of Industrial Associations is a body of 10 industrial, trader and commercial unions. (HT)

While addressing media on Wednesday, the members said that before every elections, the political leaders assured a resolution of their demands by including them in their manifestoes, but to no avail. The members demanded nomination of a local candidate for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.

The members submitted that their long-pending demands included conversion of leasehold to freehold with setting rights of titles of the plots of industrial area, withdrawal of misuse/building violations notices in industrial area, adoption of MSME Act and increasing the floor-area ratio, as it has not been increased for the past four decades.

Arun Mahajan, president of Industrial Association of Chandigarh, said, “Before every elections, they promise us to address our issues, but even after two decades, we are running from pillar to post to get our demands fulfilled.”

Chander Verma, chairman Industrial Converted Plot Owners Association, said, “We want a transfer of power from ministry of home affairs (MHA) to UT administrator as every time we put up a demand, we are told the file is pending with MHA.”

“We are fighting the battle for the past two decades, but in vain. As far as the issue of conversion of leasehold to freehold is concerned, Delhi and Nagpur have done it. So why are they not doing it in Chandigarh? Over the years, we have held several meetings with the officers concerned and political leaders, but got only false assurances,” said Surinder Gupta, president of Chambers of Chandigarh Industries.