Rs 145 cr released for civic facilities in Punjab

LUDHIANA: A comprehensive programme to provide Water Supply and Sewerage facilities in all cities and towns in the state has been launched by Punjab Government at a cost of Rs 225 crores.
During the first phase, an amount of Rs 145 crores has been released, so far, to the 43 Municipal Councils for different development projects.
This was announced by Local Bodies Minister, Chaudhary Jagjit Singh, while addressing a largely attended function after laying the foundation stone of Sewerage and Water Supply Project, to be executed at a cost of Rs 5.5 crore at Samrala about 40 km from Ludhiana.
The Minister informed that the state government has decided to accord top priority to provide these basic amenities to the whole urban population. At present in the cities and towns of the state, the drinking water facility was available for 75 per cent population and sewerage facility to 52 per cent of the population.
Chaudhary Jagjit Singh said that the Congress government was committed to fulfill all the promises made during the elections in its five year’s tenure and with the overcoming the financial crisis, the state government was going to embark upon its most prestigious development plan. Under the plan,funds amounting to Rs 907 crores were being spent only on the repair of the roads in the state.
He asserted that the Congress government was laying the foundation stones of the projects after releasing the required funds for the works, where as the previous SAD-BJP government had been laying the foundation stones, without even earmarking the funds in the budget to get cheap publicity and at most of the sites of the foundation stones, no work had been even started.
The Local Bodies Minister said that with the induction of the strict financial measures the damaged financial condition of the state has been substantially improved and the financial institutions had already agreed to fund the development projects and welfare programs of the government.
He asserted that the current financial year would be observed as the development year and funds amounting to more than 1000 crore would be spent on the development through the different departments.
Singh said that the state government was firmly committed to empower the Panchayati Raj Institutions, as dreamt by Late Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, while carrying out 73rd and 74th amendments in the constitution.
He informed that on the occasion of Gandhi Jayanti on October 2, the state government would organize a special function for handing over the responsibility of elementary education, primary health, veterinary sciences, rural drinking water supply, social welfare and social security to Panchayati Raj Institutions.
Jagjit Singh further claimed that the Congress Government headed by Capt Amarinder Singh was fully committed to provide the clean, corruption free and transparent governance.
During the last one year, a large number of big fishes have been netted for making rampant corruption during their rule and many senior leaders including former ministers of Badal Government had been booked and put behind the bars.
He said that the drive against the corruption would be further accelerated in the coming days and it would continue till its eradication at all levels. He said that in this most difficult task, the full cooperation of the people of the state was very important and reminded the people about their responsibility.
He said that if this drive remains successful, then in future, no political leader and officer could dare to adopt unfair and corrupt practices to mint money, by fleecing the people.
Referring to the present sewerage project in Samrala, the Minister said that this project would be executed within a record period of one and half years, which would provide sewerage and water supply facilities to 100 per cent population of the town, which were at present available to less than half population of the town.
He announced a grant of Rs 20 lakhs for the different developmental projects in the town to Municipal Council Samrala.