CHANDIGARH: Punjab government has selected 36 towns  under Urban Integrated Development Schemes of Small and Medium towns (UIDSSMT) and the State Govt. has decided to avail assistance from Govt. of India for funding these projects.

These towns include all District Headquarters and other important Municipal Towns like Jalandhar, Hoshiarpur, Kapurthala, Mandi Gobindgarh, Nangal, Zirakpur, Batala, Gurdaspur, Majitha, Pathankot, Patti, Tarn Taran, Bathinda, Malout, Mansa, Gidderbaha, Abohar, Faridkot, Fazilka, Ferozepur, Moga, Zira, Barnala, Banur, Dera Bassi, Malerkotla, Patiala, Rajpura, Sangrur, Khanna, Kharar, Ropar, Sirhind, Dasuya,Nawan Shahar & Phagwara.

Local Govt. Minister Manoranjan Kalia, while presiding over a meting of Commisioners of Municipal Corporations and Regional Deputy Directors of Local Govt. Deptt., said that   these towns have been selected on the basis of  financial health of the municipal body and their capacity to contribute 10% of the project cost.  Under the scheme of Urban Integrated Development of Small and Medium towns, the Govt. of India would l contribute 80% and the State Govt. would give 10%. Rest of the contribution would   come from the municipal body. 

Detail Project Reports, prepared through the consultants short-listed by the Govt. of India, should  be submitted to Govt. of India within next 3 months. The Local Govt. Minister, Mr. Manoranjan Kalia had asked the Deptt. to write to all the consultants and seek their willingness to make up the project for each town. The consultants were free to take up projects for more than one town but they have to work on the reports simultaneously.  It was hoped that the Detailed Project Reports would be completed within 3 months. The Department. would charge a penalty for time over-run. It has been proposed that payment to the consultant would  be made after the projects were evaluated and funded by the Govt. of India.   Some of the consultants have already prepared project reports for cities in Maharashtra , Gujarat and Andhra Pradesh.

Implementation of the projects relating to water supply, sewerage, sewage treatment plants, solid waste management, roads, fly-overs, widening of roads and parking etc. were prioritised by  Kalia for quick implementation.  He decided to accord top priority to Ludhiana and Amritsar towns and cover these under Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM).

A project of Rs. 2053 crore at Ludhiana includes Rs.  826 crore for six lane ring road by-pass, Rs. 823 crore for water supply and sewerage, Rs. 166 crore for facilities for urban poor and slum dwellers and Rs. 140 crore for solid waste management.

The project of Rs. 3150 crore for Amritsar includes Rs. 2567 crore for urban transport, Rs. 312 Crores for water supply & sanitation, Rs. 105 crore for promotion of tourism, Rs. 36 crore for conservation & development of heritage,

Rs.120 crore for facilities for urban poor & Rs. 10 crore for urban governance. A sum of Rs. 22 crore for the component of water supply & sewerage has been given in the allocation for current year.
                                       
Keeping in view the out  breaks of some Hepatitis cases in the state, D.S.Bains, Principal Secretary Local Government Punjab gave strict instructions to all the concerned offices to launch a campaign to clean cities on war footing. He said that review meeting would be held every month to check the progress of the on going works.

Prominent among others to attended the meeting includes Vikas Partap Commissioner Municipal Corporation Ludhiana, S.K.Ahluwalia Commissioner Municipal Corporation  Patiala,  S.S. Johal, Commissioner Municipal Corporation, Deepinder Singh Additional Secretary Local Govt. and Som Parkash Director,  Local Government.