CHANDIGARH, Oct. 10 -- In a major relief to nearly 20,000 existing industrial units operating in non-conforming zones across Punjab, the state government has extended their exemption from the provisions of Section 79 of the Punjab Regional and Town Planning and Development Act, 1995, until September 30, 2027. Ludhiana alone accounts for around 10,000 of these units. The exemption is subject to compliance with pollution-control norms prescribed by the Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB) and obtaining a no-objection certificate (NOC) from the board. Non-conforming zones are areas where existing industries or other activities do not conform to the land-use designations prescribed under an approved master plan. The department of housing and urban development issued the notification on October 8. The relief covers 24 master-plan areas, including Ludhiana, Mohali, Nagar, Mullanpur, Dera Bassi, Zirakpur, Kharar, Banur, Jalandhar, Patiala, Amritsar, Bathinda, Khanna, Gobindgarh, Tarn Taran, Sangrur and Hoshiarpur, among others. The latest notification follows an earlier exemption granted to industries operating in residential zones under the Ludhiana master plan, both within and outside municipal limits. Earlier, relief was granted for three years, from September 11, 2023, to September 10, 2026, subject to PPCB norms and an NOC....