Dr. Avnish Jolly, Chandigarh, July 28, 2008:The Punjab Government has chalked out ambitious Plans to implement over 75 projects including expressways crisscrossing Punjab, flying clubs, super speciality hospitals, ring roads and five star hotels , on which Rs. 25000 crore would be spent.
Disclosing this here today Sh. Ramesh Inder Singh, Chief Secretary, Punjab while presiding over a Executive Meeting of Punjab Infrastructure Development Board (PIDB), said besides the expressway from the international airport in Mohali to Phagwara (Rs. 2,200 Crore), an expressway around Mohali Rs. 2300 crore and a ring road around Amritsar city (Rs. 2500 crore) Mr. Anil Ambani Reliance Energy Ltd. has proposed to construct a four lane Pathankot-Ajmer expressway at a cost of Rs. 8,630 crore. The Reliance Group has already deposited Rs. 21.58 Crore as bank guarantee to the Punjab Infrastructure Development Board for the 340 KM expressway corridor, starting from Pathankot and ending at Haryana, Punjab Boarder on National Highway
10. It would reduce the distance between Pathankot and Ajmer by 200 KM. As regards the expressway projects, the Reliance Company would be buying the entire land and the government would give a commitment to acquire land for the projects at the market rate in case Reliance Company faces any problem in acquisition. The expressway project
expected to be completed by June 2011, which would be proved a boon for Malwa said Mr. Singh.
Giving more details the Chief Secretary said that amongst the projects which would likely to be implemented in two to three years includes, Air conditioned Bus Terminals at Mohali, Patiala and Bathinda, Hotel Management Institutes at Mohali and Sirhind, Five Star Hotels at Amritsar and Bathinda, a Habitat Centre and IT tower and a Sports complex at Mohali.
The State Government has already acquired Land for the International airport at Mohali, while 262 acre Central Business District was proposed in Sector 62 of Mohali, 16 Acre of which would be used for a five star hotel and an international Convention Centre.
The PIDB also proposed to spend around Rs. 400 Crore on up gradation, beautification or urban road net works and city scaping of Amritsar, Bathinda, Jalandhar, Ludhiana and Mohali. The Board has also proposed to construct Rail over Bridges (ROBs) in Ludhiana, Bathinda, Ferozepur, Nawanshahr, Mansa, Dhuri, Amritsar, Sunam and Tarn Taran by April 2010. Two Greenfield super speciality Hospitals one at Mohali
and other at Bathinda at a cost of Rs. 100 crore each would be completed in the next couple of year.
Prominent amongst others who attended meeting included Sh. D.S.Guru, Principal Secretary to CM, Mr. D.S. Kalha, Principal Secretary Finance, Mr. D.S. Bains, Principal Secretary Local Govt. Mr. Arun Goel, Housing and Urban Development, Mr. Jagjit Puri, Medical Education & Research and other members of the executive committee.