In a bid to fulfill the state government’s dream of Housing for all, the Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal today directed the Punjab Urban Development Authority (PUDA) and the Greater Mohali Area Development Authority (GMADA) to formulate an affordable Housing policy.Presiding over the meetings of PUDA and GMADA here at his residence this evening, the Chief Minister accompanied by the Deputy Chief Minister Mr. Sukhbir Singh Badal, who are Chairman and Vice Chairman of these authorities, asked the Secretary Housing and Urban Development to come out with a economically viable and financially sustainable group housing policy especially to cater the needs middle and lower middle class. The proposed policy was aimed to bring the purchase of flats within their economic reach as the majority of them were now deprived of this basic necessity of life.
Badal also asked both the Chief Administrators of GMADA and PUDA to work out the finer details of the policy in consultation with Country and Town Planning department before finalizing it.Taking part in deliberations, Deputy Chief Minister asked the officers of the state government to prepare a blue print for the strengthening and widening of roads connecting SAS Nagar (Mohali) and New Chandigarh (Mullanpur) with Chandigarh. He said that the entire exercise in this regard must be done in view of the heavy influx of traffic in the future. Mr. Sukhbir Singh Badal also asked the concerned officers to take up this matter with Chandigarh administration as both Mohali and Mullanpur were now an integral part of the Tricity. He also asked the Secretary Housing and Urban Development to tie up with the Principal Secretary Industry and Commerce and CEO Industrial Promotion Bureau to motivate the leading business and corporate Houses to set up their ventures in the upcoming Medicity and Ecocity in New Chandigarh.
Prominent amongst other present in the meeting included Chief Secretary Mr. Sarvesh Kaushal, Principal Secretary to Chief Minster Mr. SK Sandhu, Principal Secretary Finance Mrs. Vinnie Mahajan, Secretary Housing and Urban Development Mr. A Venuprasad, Special Principal Secretary to Chief Minister Mr. Gaggandip Singh Brar, Special Principal Secretary to Deputy Chief Minister cum CA PUDA Mr. Manvesh Singh Sidhu, CA GMADA Mr. AK Sinha and Secretary Local Government Mr. Ashok Gupta.