Industry pins high hopes on Arora

While Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) candidate Sanjeev Arora has now become the MLA from the Ludhiana West constituency, industrialists in the city pin high hopes as not only Arora but all prominent leaders in AAP had promised to the industry that if Arora was chosen, the government would take good steps for the industry. It hopes that Arora would become a minister and there would be some representation from Ludhiana to voice their concerns to the state government.

Talking to The Tribune, president of the Knitwear and Apparel Manufacturers Association of Ludhiana Sudershan Jain said with Arora coming to power, industrialists would be able to convey their sentiments to the state government through him.

“Earlier, nobody was responsive, Arora listens to our genuine demands, tries to get issues resolved. In the present scenario, China and Bangladesh are leaving the textile industry, which is now going towards other small countries. We have capabilities but till now, only cotton fabric/ garment is being manufactured in India, it is the time to switch over to woollens now. Ludhiana is known for woollens, then why cant we get bulk orders? It is only that we need a boost from both state and Central governments and we hope that Arora would be instrumental in getting benefits to the industry,” he said.

President of the Chamber of Industrial and Commercial Undertakings (CICU) Upkar Singh said the state was facing an acute problem of erratic power supply. “The industry suffers badly due to regular power pangs. In case strong winds blow, the power supply is hit. They should arrange for better infrastructure. We hope the new MLA would get the issue resolved. And secondly, the industry is suffering at the hands of the PSIEC, it should be taken care of. The PSIEC must not put additional financial burden on plot holders when they are supposed to sell the plots,” he said.

The executive committee of the Association of Trade and Industrial Undertakings (ATIU) held a meeting to congratulate Sanjeev Arora on winning the Ludhiana West byelection. Pankaj Sharma, president, ATIU, requested him to work for the overall development of the city, especially for the industry. He requested the MLA to resolve all pending issues of the industry, especially those which are pending for a long time.

Sharma said the focus should be on the improvement of infrastructure, especially roads and sewer. “Sewer lines are found choked most of the time due to faulty design. There is no dedicated jet machines or pumps for industrial areas. Roads don’t last long and develop potholes soon, especially during the rainy season. Most of the telephone lines are found dead during rainy days due to faulty designs. There seems to be no coordination among departments concerned. The industry demands that a dedicated office and a zone should be made for the industrial areas where tax collected from units situated in these zones should be spent on development of these areas only,” he added.

President of the United Cycle and Parts Manufacturers’ Association (UCPMA) Charanjit Vishkarma said they see a good future ahead. “The industry is hopeful that AAP will do the best to please the industry as in 2027, they would again try to come to power. We have high hopes from Arora. He has been with the industry for long, he knows our problems well and will definitely take up our issues like coming up with an exhibition centre, starting of halwara airport, etc,” he said.

Ludhiana