Punjab Government has tied up with the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) — India’s premier nuclear research facility — to find out the reasons for cancer spread in the state, said the Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh after laying the foundation stones of seven development projects, including a Cancer Hospital, to drive the Kandi region’s growth to a new level.
Expressing concern over the contamination of the state’s sub-soil, leading to spread of cancer, the Chief Minister said that the Government aimed to link all cities with surface water, to which end projects have been launched in the main towns of Patiala, Jalandhar, Amritsar and Ludhiana.
Providing clean drinking water was a priority for his government, he said, adding that cancer hospitals had already been established in the southern part of the state and now the focus was on the northern belt.
“Cancer Hospital in Hoshiarpur, to be constructed at a cost of Rs 45 crore, is a step in this direction,” said the Chief Minister, pointing out that besides this tertiary care centre in Hoshiarpur, the Government had facilitated the establishment of an ultra-modern Homi Bhabha Cancer Hospital in Sangrur, while another was in the pipeline for Fazilka.
The bouquet of projects, with a total cost of Rs 150.85 crore, includes a multipurpose indoor hall, a food street, a new library, ROB on Jalandhar Cantonment-Hoshiarpur Railway Line, a Girls Hostel and a Community Center, besides the Cancer Hospital.
In addition, Capt Amarinder also announced sub-tehsil status for Sham Chaurasi saying that the work had already been initiated on the establishment of a Government College at Dholbaha, with the receipt of tenders. The government had already announced two more government colleges, in Chabewal and Dasayu, in the recent Budget, he pointed out.
“The region has many demands and the Government has tried to fulfil most of them as a part of its duty to ensure the people’s welfare,” he said.
Laying emphasis on promoting education quality and research for which the State Government was building world-class universities which will have international tie-ups, Capt Amarinder said that the Government wanted Punjab to become an educational hub so that industry comes to the State to pick talent which would also help prevent youth from making a beeline abroad to seek better opportunities.
The Chief Minister also announced his government’s plans to come out with a policy to develop an industrial belt from Pathankot to Chandigarh. “Memorandums of Understanding have already been signed for Rs 65,000 crore, with Rs 36,000 crore visibility on the ground, since the Government took over,” he added.
Capt Amarinder also laid the foundations for a world-class ‘food street’ near Lajwanti Sports Complex, to be built for Rs 5.12 crore, to enable the people to experience the best in culinary excellence. The concept would be replicated in Patiala and Bathinda, to be followed by other cities in the state, he announced.