Ludhiana, Dec. 4 -- In another setback for the municipal corporation, the irrigation department on Wednesday rejected for the second time the no-objection certificate (NOC) sought for a proposed food vending zone along the Sidhwan Canal stretch from BRS Nagar bridge to the railway line. The department reiterated that the project falls in a "no-development zone" notified under National Green Tribunal (NGT) directions, making approval legally impossible.

Earlier, the NOC was rejected by the irrigation department on November 14.

The MC had first submitted a proposal for the project in 2018 and similar attempts in subsequent years were repeatedly blocked due to failure to obtain clearances from land-owning departments. In 2022, the local bo...