Ludhiana most liveable big city in Punjab, 2nd in North
While Ludhiana attained a moderate score in quality of life, sustainability, it scored poorly in economic ability
LUDHIANA : With an overall score of 57.36, Ludhiana has ranked 14th among cities with over one million population in the ministry of housing and urban affairs ranking for the ‘Ease of Living Index 2020’. The financial capital of the state and the industrial hub is the second city in the northern region after Delhi which has a score of 57.56.
In the previous ranking in 2018, Ludhiana had achieved a score of 35.
The rankings came as a pleasant surprise to the citizens of Ludhiana as it is most commonly perceived to be a place plagued by pollution and traffic congestion.
The index examines citizen’s quality of life in 111 cities across four pillars, 13 categories and 49 indicators. Pillars comprise quality of life, economic ability, sustainability and citizen’s perception survey.
While Ludhiana attained a moderate score in quality of life (56) and sustainability (55.24), the city scored 26.25 in economic ability.
Ludhiana’s score in citizen perception survey, which examines service delivery satisfaction of the people, is at an all-time high at 75.9. This survey allows residents to evaluate their local governance and administration based on their public service delivery performance.
Deputy commissioner Varinder Kumar Sharma said it is a matter of great pride that the city has secured such a good ranking in the country. “Credit goes to the entire government machinery and also the people of Ludhiana especially the business community who have been carrying a number of initiatives for the betterment of the city,” he said.
Ludhiana is home to approximately 95,000 micro, small and medium industrial units (SMEs) and around 250 large-scale units. The migrant population in the district is estimated to be over 15 lakhs.
Mridula Jain, owner of Shingora Textiles, says people of Ludhiana work hard and party harder in the true sense of the word. “People love to splash money and enjoy life. They are happy going to clubs and have a carefree approach. All this has given the city a unique character,” she said.
Naresh Sekhri, head, CII Ludhiana Zonal office says the number of CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) activities undertaken here far exceeds any other city in the state and industry is doing well with the support of administration. The city is safe and economically stable, no doubt,” he says.