Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal today urged the Union Urban Development and Housing Ministry to immediately release Rs 5187.75 crore to ensure 100% water supply, sewerage facilities besides providing a network of roads and street lighting in all the towns of the state. The Chief Minister called on Union Urban Development and Housing Minister M Venkaiah Naidu at his residence this morning and demanded this amount to fund 30 towns for water supply, 79 for sewerage and 86 for installations of STPs besides upgradation and modernization of roads and streetlights. Mr. Badal apprised the Minister that that state government has been able to achieve target of 100% coverage of water supply in 94 towns, sewerage in 45 towns and STP in 38 towns.
Flagging up another issue, the Chief Minister asked Mr. Naidu to include 12 cities of the state including Ludhiana, Amritsar, Mohali, New Chandigarh, Zikrakpur, Dera Bassi, Kharar, Tarn Taran, Sri Muktsar Sahib, Jalandhar, Bathinda and Patiala under the Smart City scheme. He said that two towns of the state viz. Ludhiana and Amritsar were having more than 10 lakh population so they must be included in the scheme. Likewise, Mr. Badal said that Tarn Taran and Sri Muktsar Sahib two prominent religious towns of state should also be made a part of the scheme adding that as all the state capitals were being covered under the project but Chandigarh was a Union territory so the towns of Punjab like Mohali, New Chandigarh, Zikrakpur, Dera Bassi and Kharar adjoining the City beautiful should also be covered under it.
Expressing gratitude towards Mr. Naidu for selecting Amritsar under HRIDAY (Heritage City Development and Augmentation Yojna), the Chief Minister urged him to lay the foundation stone of scheme at Amritsar. He also thanked the Union Minister for sanctioning Rs 69.31 crore for this project.
The Chief Minister also impressed upon Mr. Naidu to release last installment of JNNURM sewerage project in Ludhiana as the state government has already submitted its 100% utilization certificates on March 28, 2014. He also sought the immediate release of funds for remaining six projects in UIG and UIDSSM component.Responding to the various issues raised by the Chief Minister, Mr. Naidu assured him that the Union government would extend all sort of help to the state government for ensuring the comprehensive development of the cities and towns of Punjab.The Chief Minister was accompanied by his Principal Secretary Mr. SK Sandhu, Special Principal Secretary Mr. KJS Cheema and Secretary Local Government Mr. Ashok Kumar Gupta.