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• Ludhiana Improvement Trust’s proposed e-auction for the long-stalled City Centre commercial complex failed to receive bidders despite renewed monetisation efforts.
• The INR 197 crore mixed-use project has remained incomplete for nearly 18 years amid legal disputes, financial setbacks and multiple failed revival attempts.
• Auction documents issued earlier this year outlined fresh e-bidding procedures, payment conditions and allotment rules under Punjab’s municipal property regulations.
The Ludhiana Improvement Trust’s latest attempt to monetise the long-delayed City Centre commercial complex has failed to attract bidders, extending uncertainty around one of Punjab’s most prolonged stalled urban development projects. The mixed-use complex, estimated at around INR 197 crore, has remained incomplete for nearly 18 years following repeated legal, financial and administrative setbacks. Advertisement
According to auction documents issued by the Improvement Trust earlier this year, the authority had initiated an e-auction process for multiple commercial properties under revised terms framed in accordance with the Punjab Management and Transfer of Municipal Property Act, 2020 and subsequent rules. The process included district-level digital bidding procedures, earnest money deposit norms, payment schedules and allotment conditions for prospective bidders.
The e-auction window was scheduled between 3 March and 5 March 2026 through the state’s designated online auction platform. The documents specified that allotments would be confirmed only after approval from the competent authorities and government clearance. The Trust also retained powers to cancel bids or alter the number of properties during the auction process.
Under the prescribed conditions, successful bidders were required to deposit 25% of the sale consideration within 45 days, while the remaining amount was to be paid in instalments with applicable interest provisions. The auction guidelines additionally outlined construction timelines, refund conditions, dispute jurisdiction and online participation procedures for bidders.
Despite the revised framework and digital auction mechanism, the project reportedly failed to generate investor participation. The City Centre project, originally conceived as a major commercial and retail development in Ludhiana, has faced repeated delays over the past two decades due to corruption investigations, litigation and financial disputes involving earlier development arrangements.
Industry observers stated that prolonged uncertainty surrounding ownership, execution viability and delayed completion timelines may have impacted investor sentiment toward the redevelopment opportunity. The absence of bidders has further complicated revival efforts for the partially developed commercial asset, which was initially envisioned as a large-scale urban retail and business hub for the city.
The latest failed auction highlights continuing challenges faced by civic authorities in reviving long-pending real estate projects burdened by legacy disputes and prolonged delays, particularly in cases involving public land monetisation and incomplete commercial infrastructure.
Source- Ludhiana Improvement Trust
5th Jun, 2025
25th May, 2023
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