A major urban development project aimed at transforming Ludhiana's culinary scene has reached a dead end. Municipal authorities have conceded that there is no immediate plan to resurrect a multimillion-dollar "food street" hub, which has become a glaring example of bureaucratic failure.
Project Stalled Over Critical Clearance
The ambitious project, designed to feature 40 shops with a unified architectural façade and weather-protected seating, has failed for a third time. The latest plan was to build it near the MC Zone D office under the Southern Bypass in BRS Nagar. However, the Ludhiana Municipal Corporation (MC) could not proceed because the irrigation department denied a crucial No Objection Certificate (NOC). The project carried a price tag of ₹4.89 crore (approximately $880,000 AUD).
Critics have called the MC's actions hasty, as it floated tenders for this nearly 5-crore project before securing legal clearance to build on land owned by the irrigation department. The department's refusal to grant the NOC has effectively terminated the initiative in its current form.
A History of Repeated Failures and Shifting Locations
This is not the first setback for the proposed food street. The civic body has a history of shifting locations after previous plans collapsed.
- The first attempt in Model Town Extension was abandoned.
- The second effort in Dugri Phase 1 met the same fate.
- The third plan for the BRS Nagar Southern Bypass site is now stalled indefinitely.
The MC's aggressive push for the BRS Nagar site follows a previous legal controversy. A few years ago, the civic body attempted to develop a vending zone on similar land without permission. This led to the irrigation department filing an FIR against the MC and triggering a vigilance inquiry.
Broader Pattern of Dysfunctional Planning
The food street debacle is not an isolated incident. A separate "smart vending zone" near Chand Cinema has also fallen into disarray. Reports indicate that project was relocated from the city's West constituency to the North without obtaining necessary consent from the Finance and Contracts Committee. Environmental activists further allege the development caused permanent damage to a local green belt.
Confirming the stalemate, Superintending Engineer Sham Lal Gupta stated the department is now at a standstill. "We tried twice to get an NOC from the irrigation department, but they denied it clearly," Gupta said. "As of now, we have not taken any decision about this project. We are waiting for directions from senior authorities."
For now, the vision of a hygienic, organized hub celebrating Punjabi cuisine remains confined to paper. Local vendors and residents are left with nothing but a series of failed proposals and abandoned construction sites, highlighting systemic issues in urban planning and inter-departmental coordination.
