An efficient ligand-free cross-coupling reaction of 2-chloro-3-(chloromethyl)benzo[h]quinoline with N-heterocycles such as piperidin-4-one, 4(3H)-pyrimidone, and ethyl 6-chloro-1,2-dihydro-2-oxo-4-phenylquinoline-3-carboxylate using a catalytic amount of ZnO nanorods as a recyclable catalyst and KOH as the base in DMSO under reflux at 110°C is reported.