Mann rolls out Rs 75cr package for Nangal, announces North India’s first glass bridge

Chandigarh/Ropar: Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Singh Mann on Tuesday announced a Rs 75-crore development package for Nangal in Ropar district, including North India's first glass bridge, a Centre of Excellence named after Kargil martyr Captain Amol Kalia, and major education infrastructure projects.Mann said the package was aimed at turning Nangal into a hub of modern infrastructure, skill development and tourism.Among the key projects announced was a Rs 10-crore glass bridge to be built over the lake at Shivalik Park, which he said would boost tourism and be completed within six months.He also laid the foundation stone of the Captain Amol Kalia Centre of Excellence, to be built at a cost of Rs 23 crore. The institute will train 540 students in industry-oriented courses such as robotics, electric vehicle technology, solar systems, 3D printing and drone training, besides programmes in civil aviation and air hostess training.Mann said the govt was focusing on expanding technical education and employment-oriented learning. He said ITI seat capacity in Punjab had been increased from 32,000 to 52,308 in 2025-26, and 814 new industry-linked courses had been introduced.He also announced a 500-seat auditorium at the School of Eminence in Nangal at a cost of Rs 10 crore, along with a four-storey academic block with 12 classrooms and four laboratories for Rs 8 crore.On water availability, Mann said the state had improved canal capacity and ensured water reached the tail ends. He claimed 1,444 villages were now receiving canal water and said the govt had spent Rs 6,500 crore on rejuvenating the canal network.During the event, Mann also attacked the Shiromani Akali Dal, alleging that the drug trade had flourished during its tenure and accusing its leaders of having "blood of Punjab's youth on their hands".Earlier, minister Harjot Singh Bains said the projects would further accelerate development in the Nangal assembly segment.