The fate of nearly 50,000 micro industrial units operating in Mixed Land Use (MLU) areas hangs in the balance as the state government has yet to provide clarity on extending the permission allowing them to operate.The three-and-a-half-year period granted to these industrial units is set to expire on September 30. Under the existing rules, the units will not be allowed to continue operations in MLU areas unless the state government extends the permission.AAP MLA Kulwant Singh Sidhu, however, said he was in touch with the state government and expressed confidence that the industry would soon get an extension.“I’m on it and they will get an extension to work in MLU,” said Sidhu.With no official communication on the extension so far, industry representatives have expressed concern. World MSME Forum president Badish Jindal said immediate government intervention was necessary, particularly as various departments were not entertaining applications for No Objection Certificates (NOCs), which are mandatory from agencies such as Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB) and Fire Department.“These industries have provided jobs to more than 5 lakh people, while big corporate houses depend on these vendors for products such as nuts and bolts for bicycles, rims, auto parts, electroplating and polishing. The issue has now reached a critical stage,” said Jindal.He said the permission granted by the Punjab Government through Local Government Department on October 6, 2023, allowing industries operating in Mixed Land Use areas to continue their operations up to September 2026, was nearing expiry. Unless immediate action was taken, the future of nearly 50,000 small industrial units and approximately 5 lakh workers would be pushed into uncertainty.“Ludhiana is not merely a city; it is the industrial heart of Punjab. The bicycle, auto parts, sewing machine, hand tools and hosiery sectors, along with hundreds of ancillary manufacturing activities, depend heavily on these small units,” he said.Jindal, on behalf of the forum, has also written to the Punjab Chief Minister seeking immediate intervention.Avtar Singh Bhogal, a member of United Cycle and Parts Manufacturers Association (UCPMA), said these units were operating in more than two dozen MLU areas, including Janta Nagar, Shimlapuri, New Shimlapuri, Gill Road and Dashmesh Nagar, besides several other scattered industrial clusters.“These industries have been functioning for decades. They were not established overnight. Successive governments allowed them to operate because they became an integral part of Punjab’s industrial ecosystem and economic structure. How can these industries be asked to move when more than 60 per cent of the areas comprise industrial units and the remaining 40 per cent are residential?” said Bhogal.He said the government should consider relocating residents to better areas by providing land at subsidised rates.“The manufacturing chains will suffer severe disruption if industries are asked to move from these areas,” he added.JS Thukral, president of Janta Nagar Small Scale Manufacturers Association, said no relocation package had been announced for the industry.“No financial assistance scheme exists for shifting machinery and infrastructure. No affordable industrial plots have been allotted. And the government expects us to stop working and sit idle. Who will look after our families if we are not allowed to operate in MLU areas?” he asked.PPCB Chief Engineer YS Ratra, however, said the industry still had about a month to operate in these areas and expressed hope that the state government would issue appropriate orders by then.“The industry still has about a month to work in these areas. By that time, some orders will come from the state government,” Ratra said.