CICU Seeks Permanent Solution to Ludhiana Industries’ Shifting Issue

Ludhiana, August 24, 2026: The Chamber of Industrial & Commercial Undertakings (CICU) has urged the Punjab Government to take a permanent and practical policy decision on the long-pending issue of shifting of existing industries from established industrial pockets of Ludhiana. In a representation to Hon’ble Chief Minister Punjab Sardar Bhagwant Singh Mann, CICU has requested a review of the Ludhiana Master Plan and declaration of areas as Industrial Zones where 80% or more of the existing area is already occupied by functional industrial units.
CICU highlighted that areas including Janta Nagar, Shimlapuri, New Shimlapuri and several other industrial pockets have been predominantly industrial for decades, with more than 50,000 small industrial units operating across these clusters.
CICU President Upkar Singh Ahuja said, “Industry cannot plan its future on repeated temporary extensions. If an area is already predominantly industrial on the ground, the Master Plan should recognise this reality. We need a permanent solution that gives entrepreneurs confidence to invest, modernise and grow.”
CICU General Secretary Honey Sethi said, “Thousands of MSMEs have invested their capital, created employment and built their businesses in these areas over decades. Repeatedly asking them to shift is neither practical nor sustainable. The Government should adopt a ground-reality-based approach and protect this vital industrial ecosystem.”
CICU has particularly pointed out that the shifting extension granted in September 2023 is due to expire in September 2026. The Chamber has therefore requested that, pending a comprehensive policy review, no coercive action for shifting should be initiated and the existing timeline should be suitably extended. CICU has proposed that the approximately 72 predominantly industrial areas be assessed on the basis of actual land use, with eligible areas being suitably incorporated as Industrial Zones in the Master Plan.
The Chamber believes that this decision would provide certainty to thousands of MSMEs, safeguard employment, encourage investment and strengthen Ludhiana’s position as one of Punjab’s leading industrial hubs. CICU appeals to the Punjab Government to convert this decades-old uncertainty into a permanent policy solution based on ground reality.