Malwa Industrialists Threaten Exodus; Seechewal Criticized on Buddha Nullah

Industrialists in Malwa, Panjab have warned that if the Panjab and Union govts. fail to address their urgent concerns, they will move planned expansion projects to more supportive states. They cite repeated road blockades by agitators, including Kisan Morchas (farmers fronts), high electricity tariffs, unpredictable Goods and Services Tax-related taxation, and a cumbersome process for obtaining Change of Land Use (CLU) permits and other licenses. Local industrialists say these ongoing hurdles have crippled business operations, causing transport costs to rise due to frequent route diversions, making it harder to compete in an already challenging market. The industrialists are pushing for an industrial focal point, a gas pipeline linking the city, liberalized CLU rules, streamlined approval procedures for expansion, consumer-friendly power policies, concessions for critical industrial sectors, and clarity in the state’s shifting taxation framework. They also regret the lack of positive reforms under both PM Narendra Modi’s Union govt. and the AAP govt., claiming that the situation has only worsened. Meanwhile, the Water Warrior Team Punjab (WD Vol 2, Issue 48, Story 8) staged a protest outside the Punjab Pollution Control Board office in Ludhiana, demanding swift action against the ongoing pollution in the Buddha Nullah—one of the most contaminated tributaries of the river Satluj. At the same time, environmentalist-turned Rajya Sabha (State Assembly) MP from AAP, Sant Balbir Singh Seechewal, has reached Ludhiana, aiming to mobilize residents in and around Ludhiana to restore the Buddha Nullah of its toxic waste. A statement by Kale Paani Da Morcha (Black Waters Front) activists clarified that they do not have any relation with Seechewal, accusing him of attaching himself to the movement because the issue would come up in the forthcoming Delhi elections. They revealed the dyeing industries never had the permission to discharge water into the Buddha Nullah in the first place.