Chandigarh, Dec. 8 -- With the city's industrial sector struggling and long-pending demands remaining unaddressed, a central team is set to meet Chandigarh industrialists on December 9 to explore solutions. The meeting aims to assess how effectively the local bureaucracy has supported industrial growth and identify ways to streamline industrial processes. A task force of three senior IAS officers from the Union ministry of home affairs (MHA), led by Surendrakumar Bagde, will be in the city for two days, Tuesday and Wednesday, to interact with industrial associations and review previous recommendations. The visit follows a delegation of Chandigarh industrialists meeting senior MHA officials on December 3, during which they submitted a detailed representation highlighting the challenges they face. Industrialists allege that despite repeated requests to the UT administration, their suggestions have largely been ignored and they are routinely burdened with tax demand notices and bureaucratic hurdles. According to stakeholders, Chandigarh's Industrial Area, once envisioned as a vital component of Le Corbusier's master plan, now reflects administrative apathy and outdated regulations. The sector, intended as a growth engine for the city, has struggled under archaic rules and limited policy updates. The last major central-level review of Chandigarh's industrial sector was held in March 2025 under the Union ministry of micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME). Discussions during the meeting focused on relaxing zoning norms, simplifying land-use change procedures and digitising regulatory approvals to create a business-friendly environment without compromising the city's planned development. Industrialists had also proposed single-window clearance for licences, fire NOCs, and environmental approvals, along with integration of Chandigarh's GIS-based master plan with the PM Gati Shakti portal to improve land-use planning. According to Naveen Manglani, vice-president of the Chamber of Chandigarh Industries (CCI), "While several proposals were accepted in principle, nothing has been implemented so far." Industrialists say this inaction is affecting growth and investor confidence in the city. In an affidavit filed before the Supreme Court in September 2023, the MHA had stated that amendments to the Capital of Punjab (Development and Regulation) Act, 1952, required for revising penalties for building violations and misuse of premises, were under inter-ministerial consultation. Despite this, even after two years, no action has been taken. Many leasehold industrial plots allotted in the 1970s remain tied up due to defective titles, preventing mortgages and bank credit, while unclear transfer policies until 2010 have further stalled investment. Around 5,000 building violation notices have been issued in the past five years. Industrialist MPS Chawla noted that under the 2018 UT notification, partial covering of central courtyards with polycarbonate sheets is allowed for storage without adding FAR, yet 90 % of notices in the past five years cited the same "violations." The Floor Area Ratio (FAR), fixed at 0.75 for nearly four decades, has not been revised to accommodate changing industrial needs, particularly for smaller plots ranging from 5 marla to 1 kanal. Certain activities recognised nationally as MSME services are still not permitted in Chandigarh, limiting diversification and employment. Former union minister Pawan Kumar Bansal, in a letter to UT administrator Gulab Chand Kataria in October, highlighted that retrospective penalties imposed between 2007 and 2009, along with restrictive regulations, have left the MSME sector "veritably languishing" and deprived the city of critical economic growth. The Phase-3 Industrial Area near Raipur Kalan, conceptualised nearly 40 years ago across 153 acres, remains largely undeveloped, with only two allotments made. Policies allowing Business-to-Consumer (B2C) activities, promised in August 2023, are still pending. Stakeholders say decades of policy stagnation and restrictive by-laws have triggered a steady exodus of industries. Industrialist Siddharth Gupta said, "Over the past three decades, policy stagnation has triggered a steady exodus of industries from Chandigarh. We are stuck with archaic by-laws and restrictive building norms." The upcoming Bagde-led task force meetings are expected to review progress on prior recommendations, study deregulation options and recommend measures to streamline industrial approvals....