Chandigarh: In a significant move aimed at revamping urban infrastructure and promoting systematic development, the Punjab Government is set to introduce two major amendment Bills in the state assembly today. These legislative proposals are expected to pave the way for unlocking long-stuck urban assets and streamlining town planning across Punjab.
One of the focal points of today’s legislative session will be the Punjab Town Improvement (Amendment) Bill, 2025, which seeks to provide greater flexibility in the usage of funds generated by 23 improvement trusts across the state. The amendment will allow proceeds from the sale of trust-owned properties — some of which have remained unutilised for decades — to be redirected to a Municipal Development Fund, benefiting 167 urban local bodies.
Until now, the usage of improvement trust funds was confined strictly to their respective jurisdictions under the Punjab Town Improvement Act of 1922. The proposed change, including the introduction of Clause 69-B, will enable the state to centralise these resources and channel them toward priority urban projects anywhere in Punjab.
Properties under improvement trusts in cities like Ludhiana, Amritsar, Patiala, Jalandhar, and Rajpura have long been tied up in legal disputes, or left idle due to administrative hurdles and staffing shortages. With this amendment, the state aims to monetise these assets more effectively and deploy the proceeds for broader urban development needs.
The second key proposal, the Punjab Apartment and Property Regulation (Amendment) Bill, 2025, is designed to ensure more regulated and planned development of housing colonies and urban areas. The focus here is on tightening norms to prevent haphazard construction and to promote orderly urban expansion.
Officials from the Local Government Department indicated that these legislative changes will significantly improve the state’s ability to address long-standing urban challenges, especially in terms of infrastructure funding, illegal encroachments, and under-utilised land banks.
In addition to these urban-centric reforms, the state government is also slated to table several other amendment Bills, including:
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Seeds (Punjab Amendment) Bill, 2025
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Punjab Right to Business (Amendment) Bill, 2025
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Punjab Goods and Services Tax (Amendment) Bill, 2025
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Punjab Co-operative Societies (Amendment) Bill, 2025
These legislative initiatives collectively reflect the government’s broader push towards improving governance mechanisms, facilitating ease of doing business, and addressing critical issues across sectors.
As the Vidhan Sabha session unfolds, all eyes will be on the passage and implementation of these Bills, which could mark a turning point for urban governance and infrastructure planning in Punjab.
