Punjab to start municipal infrastructure development fund

CHANDIGARH - The Punjab government will introduce a municipal infrastructure development fund to ensure overall development of civic amenities in the state, a state minister said here Wednesday.

“We are all set to introduce state municipal infrastructure development fund for the overall development of urban areas and civic amenities. We will issue an ordinance in this regard after getting an approval from the Punjab governor,” Punjab’s Industry and Local Bodies Minister Manoranjan Kalia told reporters here Wednesday.

“After the approval of this fund, we would release Rs.1,100 crore in January 2011. Of this, Rs.500 crore will be spent only on municipal corporations,” he said.

Kalia also criticised the Amarinder Singh-led Congress government that was in power in the state from March 2002 to March 2007 for neglecting civic amenities.

“During its five-year tenure, the Congress government released only Rs.1,558.71 crore for the urban development and civic amenities. But we have released Rs.2,432.80 crore in less than four years,” said Kalia.

“They also had not sent the detailed project reports about the two major central schemes and it resulted in loss of funds that were being allocated from the central government. However, we pursued the matter and managed to get nearly Rs.365.22 crore under those schemes,” he pointed out.

The Akali Dal-Bharatiya Janata Party alliance is in power since March 2007.