The Punjab Government on Friday approved an ambitious plan of Rs800 crore to provide potable water to remaining 1,300 villages in the State. After completion of this plan in next two years, all villages of the Punjab would have potable water facility.
“Punjab Government is targeting to provide sewerage treatment plants in all cities by 2016 and treated water would be used for irrigation of adjoining farm lands,” said Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Badal after inaugurating Rs37 crore sewerage treatment plant.
He regretted that Congress Government, during last 65 years, could not provide a single treatment plant in any city and people were suffering due to massive pollution caused by disposal of untreated sewerage in most unscientific manner.
“Punjab Government has evolved a massive urban renewal plan under which all cities would have underground sewerage, sewerage treatment plants, door-to-door solid waste collection, solid waste disposal plants, metered drinking water facility besides upgradation of internal roads of the cities,” he added.
He said that a separate plan has also been finalised for scientific disposal of rainwater besides rainwater harvesting keeping in view depleting underground water table.
Promising to provide underground sewerage to all villages having more than 5000 population, Sukhbir said that all these villages would have state-of-the-art underground sewerage system that would be completed within next three years.