The chairmen of the improvement trusts across Punjab have demanded a hike in their monthly allowances, claiming the same have not been revised since 2011. They want their honorarium to be at par with that of municipal corporation mayors.

Chief minister Bhagwant Mann recently formed a committee to address the issue. Tarsem Bhinder, chairman of the Ludhiana Improvement Trust (LIT), is a part of this committee that held its first meeting in Chandigarh to discuss the matter. Bhinder said there was a detailed discussion during the meeting on raising the monthly allowance for urban improvement trust chairmen. “We currently receive ₹13,500 as allowance and ₹3,000 for tea and miscellaneous expenses, which is far too low. We have requested at least ₹1 lakh per month to match the responsibilities of the role,” Bhinder said.

He added that previous governments had received similar proposals but failed to act. “The chairman of an improvement trust plays an important role, yet the current honorarium does not reflect the significance of the position,” he said.

The committee also discussed other challenges being faced by improvement trusts, including staff shortage and unresolved issues like revising the reserve price of properties. Bhinder further highlighted the need for a one-time settlement (OTS) scheme to recover pending dues from defaulters.