Punjab Congress, on the basis of information gathered under the Right to Information (RTI) Act, lashed out at the “cash-strapped” SAD-BJP Government for wasting public funds by either dropping or putting on hold major development projects in the State after initially spending huge money. Seeking explanation from the ruling combine, the party has demanded a probe into the matter.
The RTI reply, given by the Punjab Infrastructure Development Board (PIDB) to the party’s RTI Cell chairman Jasdeepak Singh, disclosed that various development projects which were approved and were to be facilitated or funded by the PIDB since financial year 2008 are “in a shambles”. “These projects are either dropped or their present status shows that they are on hold, after spending initial huge sums of money on these projects,” said Jasdeepak.
Giving details, he said that the much publicised ropeway between Sri Anandpur Sahib-Naina Devi has uncertain future. “The total estimated cost of the project was Rs8,500 lakhs, and after doing an initial expenditure of Rs100.24 lakhs, the project is on hold,” he said. He pointed that railway-over-bridge at Gidderbaha on lambi-Gidderbaha road, whose estimated cost was Rs2,000 lakh and on which Rs60.58 lakh were initially spent, has finally been dropped. Similarly, Rs700 lakh project of railway-under-bridge at Maur Mandi has also been dropped with already spending Rs6.32 lakh.
For four-laning of Chandigarh-Anandpur Sahib road, Rs2,000 lakh was the estimated cost, and Rs5.29 lakh were spent before finally dropping the project. Similarly, four-laning of Kharar-Morinda road was also dropped after spending Rs0.05 lakh, whose estimated cost was Rs700 lakh. He said that the projects involving construction of various bus terminals under PPP mode have also been dropped including bus terminals at Sangrur, Kapurthala, and Faridkot after an initial expenditure of Rs4 lakh, Rs4 lakh, and Rs6 lakh respectively, and whose estimated cost was Rs40 crore each. Similarly, the bus terminus at Kharar has also been dropped after spending Rs3.20 lakh, whose estimated cost was Rs10 crores.
RTI reply revealed that much talked-about five-star hotel, being planned by PIDB, was shelved after an initial spending of Rs5 lakh and having estimated cost of Rs350 crores. Ambitious projects like Punjab Haat and Amusement Park at Mohali were also dropped having estimated cost of Rs50 crores and initially spending Rs2 lakh.
“Interestingly, the list of projects whose present status is on hold after doing initial expenditure on them are abundant. Various projects under Design-Build-Finance-Operate-Transfer (DBFOT) mode, including expressway around Mohali, Mohali-Phagwara expressway, Tanda-Sri Hargobindpur-Amritsar road, Batala Mehta-Beas road, ropeway between Anandpur Sahib-Naina Devi, hotel at ludhiana (Circuit House), are on hold,” he said.
“Projects are announced and inaugurated, wide publicity is done, initial expenditure is also done and then the projects are dropped. Why the future of these projects lie uncertainIJ Already, the state’s financial situation is in ruins. Above that, the government announces and then starts new projects, spends money and then drops them. In fact, the whole matter needs to be probed into,” said Jasdeepak.