CHANDIGARH MAY 23:In a significant move aimed at providing safe drinking water and sewerage facilities to the people in the Malwa belt, Punjab Chief Minister Mr. Parkash Singh Badal today unveiled an ambitious plan envisaging an investment of Rs.206.86 crore related to Water Supply, Sewerage and Sewerage Treatment Plant projects in thirteen Municipal Councils of Bathinda and Mansa in a phased manner.
Addressing a public function on the occasion Mr. Badal said that under the first phase, the foundation stones of these projects had been laid at five municipal councils of Bathinda district namely Kotfatta (Rs.5.32 crore), Bhucho (Rs.7.09 crore), Maur (Rs.24.01 crore), Rampura Phul (Rs.24 crore) & Bathinda (Rs.29.40 crore) and two municipal councils Bhikhi (Rs.17.96 crore) and Budhlada (Rs.17.10 crore)in Mansa district and in the next phase Sardulgarh (Rs.18.03 crore), Bareta (Rs.7.10 crore) and Mansa (Rs.29.05 crore) town in Mansa district and Sangat (Rs.4.98 crore), Goniana (Rs.7.81 crore) and Raman (Rs.14..99 crore) in Bathinda district would be covered tomorrow.
The Chief Minister said that the Punjab Government required Rs.2784 crore for providing safe drinking water (Rs.638 crore), sewerage (Rs.756 crore) and sewerage treatment plants (Rs.1390 crore) for 100 percent coverage of its population for these schemes. He said that efforts were afoot to tie up with Centre, World Bank, NABARD and other premier landing agencies to seek these funds to accomplish this gigantic task.
Mr. Badal said that it was really a pathetic situation that we had not been able to provide basic amenities to our people even after 60 years of independence. Reiterating the firm resolves of SAD-BJP alliance, Mr. Badal said that the Punjab Government was fully committed to provide these basic amenities to its people through Government’s multi dimensional development programme of water supply, sewerage and sewerage treatment plants. He further said that there was 15% of urban population that had yet to be provided the facility of clean drinking water and 43% was still without sewerage facility in the State. He said that all these projects would be completed within three years.
Mr. Badal emphasized the need to adopt a holistic approach to bring awareness amongst the masses about cleanliness and hygiene because the people of the Malwa belt were contracting diseases of cancer, skin diseases, viral hepatitis, gastrointestinal infections, bone & joint disorders and dental caries due to high rate of toxicity in the water. He appealed the people to contribute their share of 10% and 5% respectively towards the World Bank’s drinking water and sewerage facility as one of its stipulated condition for the implementation of these schemes.
Addressing on the occasion Member Parliament and President Shiromani Akali Dali Mr. Sukhbir Singh Badal said that the spree of foundation stones laid here today by the Chief Minister in Bathinda and Mansa districts for the projects of drinking water, sewerage and sewage treatment plants would go a long way to make Malwa belt free from contaminated water. He said that the previous congress government did nothing tangible in the name of development except making tall claims of mega projects which too proved to be farce later on. ‘The congress party which considered Malwa region as their strong hold did not spare any efforts to ignore this white-gold producing cotton belt blatantly which had been badly hit due to water logging and unsafe water both for human consumption as well irrigation’, said Mr.Sukhibr Badal. He said that our government had already initiated a project of Rs.3250 crore for the remodeling of canals, drains and water channels to ensure the availability of water at the tail ends besides effectively tackling the problem of water logging that had substantially ravaged the crops and property in the region.
Unfolding the various development projects being initiated in Bathinda at a cost of Rs.1000 crore, Mr. Sukhbir Badal said that these consisted of 100% water and sewerage in municipal corporation Bathinda and all municipal councils in Bathinda and Mansa district (Rs.250 crore), development of bir, talab, lakes and canal (Rs.25 crore), civil air terminal at Bhisiana (Rs.125 crore), cancer and super specialty hospital (57 crore), ring road Phase-II (125 crore), multi storey parking at mall road (Rs.25 crore), renovation of bus stand (Rs.300 crore, five star hotel at lake site (Rs.30 crore), institute of Hotel Management (Rs.13 crore), G.T. road (10 crore) and works by municipal corporation (40 crore). He hoped with the upgradation of infrastructure and on-going projects in Bathinda district would soon catalyze the economic growth in this region.
Speaking on the occasion, Local Government Minister Manoranjan Kalia said that these projects in 13 Municipal Councils of Bathinda and Mansa Districts would entail a cost of Rs. 206.86 crore, of which Rs. 52.45 crore, Rs. 119.44 core and Rs. 34.95 crore would be spent on works of water supply, sewerage and sewage treatment plants respectively.
Prominent amongst who were present on the occasion included Secretary BJP Kamal Sharma, Mr.Sikandar Singh Maloka, Jagdeep Singh Nakai, Inderjit Singh Bhaika, Dr.Om Parkash Sharma, Darshan Singh Kotfatta, Amarjit Singh Sidhu, Hartej Singh, Jatinder Singh (all Akali Leaders).