Industrialists seek refund of LUCC fees paid to Panchayats in Jalpaiguri

Jalpaiguri: The issue of ongoing complications surrounding Land Utilization Compatibility Certificates (LUCC) was raised during a meeting of the District Industrial Potential Committee and district administration here on Wednesday.

Jalpaiguri District Magistrate Shama Parveen; Additional District Magistrate Raunak Agarwal and representatives from industrial and commercial organisations held discussions on the issue.

Under the new regulations, the LUCC must be obtained from the Siliguri Jalpaiguri Development Authority (SJDA), replacing the previous system where these certificates were issued by Panchayats, Panchayat Samitis, and Zilla Parishads. As a result, industrialists whose LUCCs were previously issued by Panchayats are now required to reapply through the SJDA, rendering the earlier certificates invalid.

Industrialists are concerned about this change, as they would have to repay the fees for obtaining the LUCC. As the SJDA is the only authority able to issue the LUCC, industrialists have expressed frustration over the “added financial burden”.

Members of industrial and commercial organisations have formally requested that the money previously paid for LUCCs to the Panchayat be refunded, arguing that the new system is “unfair to those who complied with the previous regulations”.

Kishor Marodia, General Secretary of the North Bengal National Chambers of Commerce and Industry, stated: “We raised our concerns during the meeting, emphasising that, under the new rules, we are required to obtain a fresh LUCC from the SJDA, even though we already have one from the Panchayat.

We have requested the district administration to arrange for a refund of the money we paid to the Panchayat.” Assuring the attendees, the District Magistrate stated: “The state Panchayat office has been informed about the LUCC issue, and we are seeking a resolution.”