Chandigarh: Punjab Chief Minister Mr. Parkash Singh Badal today urged the Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh to declare the project for tackling the menace of water logging in state as ‘National Project’ and immediately releases central assistance of Rs 960.62 crore.
Mr. Badal called on the Prime Minister here at Punjab Raj Bhawan this afternoon as the latter was in the capital on an official visit. The Chief Minister apprised Dr. Singh that on the request of Punjab Government a team under the Chairmanship of Union Rural Development Minister Mr. Jai Ram Ramesh had visited badly affected water logged areas to take stock of the situation. Subsequently a high power committee under the chairmanship of Member, Planning Commission Dr. Mihir Shah, also visited the same region and suggested measures to solve the problem of water logging in the area.
The Chief Minister informed Dr. Singh that keeping in view the suggestions of high power committee under the chairmanship of Dr. Mihir Shah, a project amounting to Rs.960.62 crores stands submitted for approval and providing funds under Central Assistance for checking the menace of water logging and salinity and to reclaim fertile land for agriculture production. The anti-water logging measure proposed to be taken was also envisaged to help in improving the environment and reduce the prevailing health hazards. Mr. Badal bemoaned that inordinate delay in sanctioning the project has once again pushed the people of south west Punjab to the same miserable condition due to recent rains in August 2013.
The Chief Minister further apprised Dr. Singh that unprecedented rains in the month of September 2011, the worst in a span of last 80 years, submerged large areas of south western Punjab and crops were completely damaged. Besides that, the continuous seepage from the twin canals namely Rajasthan Feeder and Sirhind feeder also increased the water logging problem in the area. All the low lying pockets running through village Abadies as well as agriculture land were filled with 2 to 6 feet depth of flood water. Dewatering arrangements on a large scale were put in place to ameliorate the situation, he added.
Flagging up another issue for seeking the approval of Union Cabinet for the setting up of the Cancer hospital in the state on the lines of Tata Memorial Cancer (TMC) Hospital by the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE), Mr. Badal requested the Prime Minister to personally intervene in the matter for putting the prestigious project on fast track. Expressing gratitude to Prime Minister, Mr. Badal said that the people of Punjab were extremely grateful to him for recognizing the gravity of the problem of cancer in the State and thus giving in principle approval to establish this hospital. Mr. Badal informed the Prime Minister that the state Government has already handed over the site identified by DAE, free of cost for this purpose adding he said that all concerned departments have given their concurrence to the proposal, which was all set for the green signal from the Union Cabinet under your leadership. The Chief Minister also urged Dr. Singh to lay the foundation stone of this landmark project.
Seeking his personal intervention, Mr. Badal impressed upon the Prime Minister to direct the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways/ National Highways Authority of India may be directed to expedite Ludhiana- Delhi expressway by giving it top priority. He informed that fast and secure road highways are emerging as an important factor for investment promotion and industrialization in the country. City of Ludhiana popularly known as “Manchester of India” has developed as a catalyst for further industrialization in the State. In order to boost further investment and industrialization, the Chief Minister reminded Dr. Singh that he had been advocating cause of expressway between Ludhiana and Delhi therefore he sought Prime Minister’s personal intervention to give top priority to the project especially in context of Amritsar- Kolkata industrial corridor, construction of Ludhiana-Delhi expressway becomes more imperative.
Responding to the issues raised by the Chief Minister, Dr. Singh assured him of positive outcome. He told Mr. Badal that he would soon take up the issues flagged up by him with the concerned ministries for their resolution at the earliest. The Prime Minister invited Mr. Badal to National capital with a Comprehensive Project Report to combat the problem of water logging in the state so that a permanent solution could be found to this vexed problem.