Amritsar, June 13: Reiterating his firm resole to develop holy city of Amritsar as a World class tourist destination, Punjab Chief Minister Mr Parkash Singh Badal today announced a grant of Rs. 65 crore, in addition to Rs. 100 crore already given by the State Government for the integrated development of the historic city.
Addressing a massive gathering here today in a jam packed Guru Nanak Auditorium after the presentation made by the technical experts of the US based Tetra Tech India Limited on Rs. 100 crore development project of Amritsar, the Chief Minister said that out of Rs. 65 crore, a sum of Rs. 20 crore each would be spent on the development of outer wards, solid waste management, lying of sewer lines and Rs. 5 crore for the plantation of Neem trees in the city as a part of beautification and clean environment project.
It may be recalled that the project is likely to be executed by the reputed firms for which the global tenders had already been floated.
The Chief Minister also announced that the Government of India had already cleared the State Government’s proposal to set up a World class University at Amritsar over 700 acres of land, which was being identified by the district administration for this purpose. He also mentioned that recently he called on the Union Sports & Youth Affairs Minister Mr. Manohar Singh Gill at New Delhi, who agreed to sanction Rs. 3 crore for lying Astroturf in the Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar and to hold the 14th National Youth Festival-2009 at Amritsar.
Mr. Badal lamented that even after 60 years of Independence, the Centre had not been able to provide the basic civic amenities to our people. He said any society or nation could not progress without education and health facilities. He said his Government had embarked and ambitious plan to modernize the Government Guru Nanak Hospital and Medical College at a cost of 130 crore and probably it would the one of the best hospitals in the World.
"We owe a moral duty to develop Amritsar as one of the finest cities across the globe in view its historical and religious importance. The development of this city can not the quantified in terms of money rather it is the sheer devotion and faith to bring spectacular all round development here as lacs of devotees daily visit Sri Darbar Shaib to pay their obeisance in order to seek the blessings of Almighty"said Mr. Badal. The Chief Minister also highlighted significance of over all development and growth of Amritsar in the context of the improved Indo-Pak relations which would further give a fillip to the bilateral trade between two countries in general and Punjab in particular.
The Chief Minister said that the State Government had initiated concerted efforts towards an integrated development of the Corporate cities of Amritsar, Ludhiana, Jalandhar, Patiala, Mohali and Bathinda for which the services of renowned planners and architects were being taken to prepare the master plans of the cities.
Speaking on the occasion SAD President Mr. Sukhbir Singh Badal said that the SAD-BJP Government was committed to develop Punjab as a front runner State not only on the National but at International level too. He said that the bold initiatives taken by the Government in strengthening the sectors like power, infrastructure, education and health was a step in the right direction to achieve its objective of ensuring all round development and prosperity in the State. "Unlike Congress, the SAD-BJP does not believe in tall claims and hollow slogans but is firmly committed to translate its actions into reality to cherish the aspirations of the people" said Mr. Sukhbir Badal.
He further said that it was his and his father’s (Mr. Badal) commitment to develop Amritsar as one of the best cities in the World even before coming to power and now since the people had given us a chance to serve we would spare no efforts to full fill our promise and people’s dream.
Local Government and Industry Minister Mr Manoranjan Kalia said that the Government of India had already approved six out of 13 Detailed Project Reports (DPRs) submitted by the State Government and the first installment of Rs. 125 crore had already been released by the Centre for the implementation of these projects. He asked the Municipal Councillor and Corporater to fully involve themselves for the timely implementation of various on going projects and overseeing the quality as per the specifications with their jurisdiction.
Information & Public Relations Minister Mr Bikram Singh Majithia urged Mr. Badal to formulate a policy for the development of Amritsar in such a manner to ensure balanced growth of the city without ignoring the outer wards. He impressed upon Mr. Badal to allot additional funds for the development of these wards.
In his address local Member Parliament Mr. Navjot Singh Sidhu said that he would keep his word given to the people of Amritsar at all costs to develop this historic city on the ultra modern lines. He said that the development of Amritsar was a pointer towards the development of not only India but of entire World as it reflected the cosmopolitan culture and rich heritage binding the humanity.
President Punjab BJP Mr. Rajinder Bhandari and National Secretary BJP and Incharge Punjab State Affairs Mr. Balbir Punj also spoke on the occasion.
Prominent amongst other who were also present on the occasion included Prof. Laxmi Kanta Chawla, Minister for Health, Mayor Er. Shwet Malik, Mr. Anil Joshi, Mr. Amarpal Singh Boni, Mr. Inderbir Singh Bularia (all MLAs) and Mr. D.S. Bains, Secretary Local Government.