CHANDIGARH:  Punjab Government has eyed a big development vision of Rs.20,000 crore development projects in the state which included an eight lane super high way between Pathankot and Ajmer in Rajasthan.

Besides, A luxury train encircling the entire religious artery of the State and covering  Mohali, Patiala, Amritsar, Kangra and Anandpur Sahib, sprawling eight-lane ring-roads around Ludhiana, Amritsar and Jalandhar, an IT Tower at Mohali to turn Punjab into the World's new Silicon valley, radio cabs in all major cities and a super express way connecting the Mohali International Airport with  Amritsar, by-passing  Phagwara and Jalandhar on the way --   these are some of the new landmark projects cleared at the 22nd meeting of the Punjab Infra-structure Development Board (PIDB) here Thursday. The meeting  was chaired by the Chief Minister, Mr. Parkash Singh Badal

In all, projects worth Rs. 20,000 crore got the Board's approval to take Punjab into " the  Brave New World" of dream infrastructure facility. In addition, the Board approved in principle an infra-structure transformation outlay of additional Rs. 35000 crore that would radically alter the way the world looks at Punjab today. Most of these projects were a part of the  'Vision Punjab 2010' released by MP Mr. Sukhbir Singh Badal just ahead of the assembly elections in February last year. The PIDB Managing Director, Mr. Sukhbir Singh Sandhu had been specially drafted into Punjab to translate this vision into reality.

Releasing the details of the meeting, Mr. Harcharan Bains, Media Advisor to Chief Minister said that the massive investments approved in today's meeting of the PIDB would put the state in an altogether new and higher orbit of growth. He said that the Board also decided to undertake a special survey of the Kandi area to take it along the new trajectory of development. The Chief Minister was of the view that for the new thrust of the infrastructure development to be sustainable, it had to be inclusive and even distributed over the state. The Chief Minister pressed for the inclusion of the  Kandi belt in the new vision of development, said Mr. Bains. Significantly, Doaba and Majha, the two regions that gave an overwhelming mandate in favour of the new regime, are seen to be at the core of the new development projects approved today.

Among the other prominent features of this new vision that found the approval of the Board are an expressway linking the International Airport with the Golden temple and a Nature Walk  at Moga.
         
Similarly, Punjab will now boast of a globally structured Habitat Centre at Mohali. In sheer magnitude and architectural conception, this Habitat Centre  is set to mark a  new development signature in infrastructure history, possibly surpassing the one in New Delhi .

 In a decision of far-reaching implications, the Board gave its approval for engaging the services of two infrastructure developments consultancy concerns - one of international repute to conceive infrastructure projects of world class quality and its implementation in time bound manner and another to increase the revenue of PIDB besides generating resources to make its functioning far more viable and result oriented.

The Punjab Finance Minister and Vice Chairman of PIDB  Mr. Manpreet Singh Badal, pointed out at the meeting that Punjab needed an additional investment of at least Rs.30,000 to 35000 crore in terms of global infrastructure projects over next three years besides these projects of Rs.20000

The Board also approved the Lalru-Baddi, Mohali-Phagwara  express-way including a link to the Mohali International Airport , with a possible detour to Amritsar from the outskirts of Phagwara. A pre-feasibility study is likely to be undertaken to examine the possibility of by-passing Jalandhar en route Amritsar .

Punjab is also set to move into the era of radio-cabs with the board approving the introduction of this service in the five major towns of the state. A new feature that would distinguish this modern facility from the one even at Chandigarh is that its radius would be extended up to forty kilometers. The Board also approved  the introduction of the  city bus service at Amritsar , Jalandhar and Ludhiana .

Sanction was accorded to the setting up of one Institute of Hotel Management at village Boothgarh near Mohali and another at Sirhind adjacent to the Floating Restaurant, , modern Bus terminals at Mohali, Bathinda, Patiala and Hoshiarpur, high level bridge at Chaki Nadi near Pathankot, Computerized Integrated Check Post, Multi-specialty hospital at Mohali and Bathinda, five star hotel & parking-cum-commercial complex at Bathinda.

Among the other projects reviewed by the Board were pilot training institutes at Ludhiana and Amritsar, up-gradation and beautification of urban roads of five major cities namely Amritsar, Bathinda, Jalandhar, Ludhiana and Mohali, , sports cum-commercial complex at Mohali,  Amritsar Airport Expressway, Nature Walk Moga, Polytechnics at Rahon and Nanowal, Fruit and Vegetable market at Mohali, upgradation operation and maintenance of Neem Chameli Tourist Complex at Attari-Wagah border Amritsar, Pincassia Tourist Complex & Water Lilly Resorts, Ropar, opening of fast food counters at Khatkarkalan, Kurali and Morinda, development of hotel Amaltas Ludhiana and construction of high level bridges at Makhu, Chola sahib and Sarai Ka Pattan.