Latest news with #LudhianaImprovementTrust
Time of India
15 hours ago
- Business
- Time of India
Commercialisation of residential areas concerns residents in Ludhiana West constituency.
Ludhiana: Once considered among the most well-planned and livable parts of this city, the West constituency is now at the centre of growing resident discontent as commercial activity intrudes into its residential streets increasingly. Despite being home to prime localities and benefitting from a substantial share of Smart City projects, residents say the area is losing its peace and character rapidly. The expansion of commercial outlets into residential zones, stray animals, parking shortages, and unchecked encroachment are driving frustration among citizens. "The very reason we chose Sarabha Nagar was for peace," said Rahul Verma, a long-time resident. "Now every street has shops or offices. Instead of stopping this, the authorities concerned are declaring residential roads as commercial zones." His concerns are echoed across other upscale neighbourhoods including BRS Nagar, Kitchlu Nagar, Udham Singh Nagar, Model Town, Model Gram and Club Road. Many of these were originally planned by the Ludhiana Improvement Trust (LIT), which had demarcated residential and commercial areas clearly. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Wrinkles? No. Philips Garment Steamers Book Now Undo Over time, it handed over these localities to the municipal corporation for maintenance — and residents say that is when the balance began to tilt. "There's no difference now," said Kapil Arora of BRS Nagar. "The main road is so busy with commercial activity that I take interior lanes just to reach my own house." A municipal corporation official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, admitted the shift was often initiated by the residents themselves. "People open shops or clinics in homes and then apply to have roads declared commercial," he said. "Several of these proposals are under govt review currently." The rising commercialisation is not only disturbing residents' peace of mind but also undercutting the function and viability of market areas. Locals complain that mixed-use chaos deters customers and contributes to traffic bottlenecks. Adding to the concern is the lack of updated data with the civic body. It conducted the last official survey of commercial violations in 2019, revealing 7,053 violations across 73 town planning schemes — 2,683 of those concentrated in just 60 of those schemes. Since then, it has carried out no fresh survey, leaving citizens frustrated by the absence of regulatory oversight. With more LIT-developed areas now being transferred to civic authorities, residents fear the same pattern will repeat: peaceful neighbourhoods transformed into unregulated commercial zones, with little room left for families or silence. MSID:: 121706738 413 |
Hindustan Times
3 days ago
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
VB summons Congress' Bharat Bhushan Ashu in ₹2,400-cr school land misuse case
Congress' Ludhiana West candidate and ex-minister Bharat Bhushan Ashu has been summoned by the Ludhiana unit of the vigilance bureau in connection with a ₹2,400 crore scam involving misuse of school land in Sarabha Nagar. The summons, issued on June 4 by deputy superintendent of police Vinod Kumar directs Ashu to appear for questioning on Friday (June 6) at 10 am. The case dates back to January 8, 2025, when an FIR was lodged at police station division no 5 under Sections 420 (cheating), 120-B (criminal conspiracy), 467, 468, 471 (forgery), and 409 (criminal breach of trust) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). The case revolves around 4.7 acres of land allotted by the Ludhiana Improvement Trust (LIT) decades ago to run the New Senior Secondary School in Sarabha Nagar. The land was given at a subsidised rate strictly for educational purposes. However, investigations revealed that parts of this land are being illegally used for commercial activities. Multiple private playway schools and businesses are operating on the premises, with the school management allegedly collecting hefty rents, a serious violation estimated to involve ₹2,400 crore in financial irregularities. The police on January 8 this year, had already lodged an FIR against the school following the complaint filed by chairman, Ludhiana Improvement Trust (LIT). Following his complaint, the case was transferred to the vigilance bureau after alleged financial irregularities surfaced during the probe. Ashu who remained minister of food, civil supplies, and consumer affairs during previous Congress government in the state was embroiled in the 2022 ₹2,000-crore foodgrain transportation tender scam. He faced allegations of awarding contracts to fraudulent contractors submitting fake vehicle registrations, inflating transport numbers, and misusing public funds. He was arrested in August 2022. In December 2024, the Punjab and Haryana high court quashed two criminal cases registered against Ashu. While one FIR was registered on August 16, 2022, in Ludhiana by the vigilance bureau, the second FIR was registered by the vigilance bureau on September 22, 2022, in Jalandhar. Reacting to summon, Ashu said, 'I am busy with my campaigning and have not received any such summons. After campaigning, I will respond accordingly.'
Hindustan Times
27-05-2025
- Business
- Hindustan Times
Allot reserved plot in Transport Nagar to us: Truckers body to Ludhiana Improvement Trust
To discuss the allocation of a reserved plot in Transport Nagar under the 114-acre Truck Stand Scheme, delegation from the Ludhiana Goods Transport Association met with Ludhiana Improvement Trust (LIT) Chairman Tarsem Singh Bhinder on Tuesday. The delegation, led by president Darshan Singh, general secretary Ashok Pahwa and vice-president Ajit Pal Rinku, presented their claim over a 2000 square yard plot originally reserved for the Truck Union office. Earlier this month, the association had formally written to the LIT chairman, emphasising that within the 114-acre Truck Stand Scheme, various plots were allocated for different institutions, including religious sites, petrol pumps, telephone exchanges, said the press secretary of the association Jagdish Jassewal, Currently, approximately 550 square yards of this reserved plot is being used as a public toilet, while the remaining area is fenced and locked, with the key held by the Ludhiana Goods Transport Association. However, the plot has not yet been officially allocated. Jassewal underlined the urgent need for this space, citing plans to build a proper office and rest house for truck drivers, facilities that the area is currently lacking, to improve the working conditions of truckers here. Confirming the development, LIT Chairman Tarsem Singh Bhinder stated, 'The truckers had previously requested the allocation of this land. We will conduct a thorough inspection to verify their claim, and following the proper procedures, the land will be allocated accordingly.'
Time of India
19-05-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Ludhiana Improvement Trust seeks land for new schemes
LUDHIANA : The transfer of colonies from Ludhiana Improvement Trust (LIT) to the MC was supposed to ease its burden. However, the LIT now struggles to remain relevant. With the trust handing over its remaining residential areas to the municipal corporation, and the MC starting the process of adopting these colonies, the trust faces a struggle for existence. As of now, except for the Atal Apartment project, the LIT has nothing major in terms of development of any area or scheme, in its itinerary. To rectify this, the trust plans to launch a new residential/commercial development scheme, for which its officials have started looking for land. The LIT administration has initiated efforts to arrange land through land pooling to develop a new commercial/residential scheme. The trust administration has issued a public notice inviting interested holders to give land for such a scheme on the condition that it should either be within MC limits or adjacent to it. Under the land pooling scheme, a commercial/residential scheme will be developed after taking possession of land. For every acre of land, a plot of about 1,100 sq yards will be allotted to the landholder. During the tenure of former LIT chairman Raman Balasubramanium, the proposal for a new residential scheme was sent to the government. At the time, the proposal for a new scheme in areas around Hambran Road was discussed but after change of power, the scheme came to a halt. After taking charge, LIT chairman Tarsem Bhinder has again started looking for land in areas around Sidhwan Canal, Lohara. Now, the trust administration has invited landholders, saying that if they want to cooperate in the development of a new commercial/residential scheme in the city, they should submit their application in a sealed envelope to the LIT chairman's office within 21 days. The process will be taken forward after checking the documents. LIT chairman Tarsem Bhinder said, "Property holders have been invited to pool land for development of a new scheme. The procedure will be completed after verification of documents and the proposal will be sent to the government. After getting government approval, a new scheme will be launched." He added that they wanted to develop a scheme for residents because no such scheme had been launched by the trust for a long time.
Time of India
08-05-2025
- Business
- Time of India
LIT urges property owners to avail of one-time settlement schemes
Ludhiana: Ludhiana Improvement Trust (LIT) officials urged people to avail themselves of the scheme for one-time settlement policies, which provide relief to defaulters from non-construction fees and pending dues for the allotment of properties. In a press statement issued on Thursday, LIT Chairman Tarsem Bhinder said that the local bodies department issued two one-time relaxation policies for the allottees, those transferred, and owners of properties falling under development schemes of the non-construction fee policy, a 50% discount was given on the total amount of non-construction fee (principal amount and interest) due to allottees of properties falling under the development schemes of the trust, for which less than 15 years or more than 15 years passed from the date of issuance of the allotment letter. Operation Sindoor Operation Sindoor: Several airports in India closed - check full list Did Pak shoot down Indian jets? What MEA said India foils Pakistan's attack on Jammu airport: What we know so far The non-construction fee due for more than 15 years was fixed at the rate of 5% of the reserve rate (applicable). Along with this, senior citizens, women, and legal heirs of soldiers of the Armed or Paramilitary Forces killed in action were also given an additional 25% discount on the above-given discount on the non-construction getting an exemption from the govt under the one-time relaxation policy regarding the amount of non-construction fee (NCF), the allottee will be bound to deposit the amount and construct his property by getting the plan approved by December 31. He said that under the one-time settlement for pending dues where allottees made some kind of payment, this exemption will be applicable only in cases in which allottees deposited 1/4th part of the amount after the allotment of property. According to this, allottees will be able to regularise their property by depositing the remaining amount at the applicable rate (at simple interest) and restaurant charges at the rate of 2.5% at the reserve rate for the year 2025-26. Complete exemption was given on penalty/penal said that if allottees, transferees, or owners of properties falling under the development schemes of the trust want to get the benefit under the one-time relaxation policy regarding the amount of non-construction fee (NCF) issued by the govt, they can get the benefit by submitting a request in person or via email at the trust office till July 31. If anyone wants to get any other information in this regard, they can come to the LIT office on any working day and get the information.
