With newly-elected Amritsar MP and former chief minister Capt Amarinder Singh getting down to business in the holy city, the SAD-BJP led Punjab Government went into damage-control mode.
Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Badal reached the holy city and took stock of all the ongoing development projects in Amritsar in a high-level meeting on Thursday. He, acting quicker than Capt Amarinder to solve residents’ issue of garbage, green cover, beautification, among others, took significant decisions in this regard.
As the residents of the holy city have all along been complaining over garbage scattered all across the city, the state government has decided to set up Solid Waste Management Wings in the local
Bodies department.
“Punjab Government would soon form solid waste management wings in local bodies department to make sure all its cities and towns are garbage-free besides using the garbage for power generation,” said Sukhbir.
He said that state government was contemplating to form these wings to drain out garbage problem in urban areas thereby providing clean and safe environment for the habitants. The wing will work with the guidance of experts for lasting solution of garbage problem and generation of power from the garbage, he said.
A day after Capt Amarinder raised the issue of sacrificing the green cover at the cost of road widening and Bus Rapid Transit System, Sukhbir made it clear that the SAD-BJP government “will not tolerate any damage to the green cover of cities and rural areas in the state at any cost and for this, we are going to establish horticulture wings in
each district”.
Adding further, he said that these wings would ensure planting of double saplings of plants and trees as compare to the trees cut for the purpose of road widening besides ensuring the maintenance of green cover— as suggestion put forth by the Congress leader a
day before.
On the issue of chopping off of trees for the purpose of road widening in the city, Sukhbir strictly directed the officers concerned not to cut trees without dire necessity and there should be multiple planting of saplings against number of slaughtered trees.
He also directed that the concerned department would be responsible for at least five years maintenance of these plants. He also asked the PWD officials to plant good-looking and blossoming trees on the sides of roads in Amritsar.
He directed PWD secretary PS Aujla and other officers concerned to hold a meeting with Amritsar Mayor and officers of other departments and submit a detailed report within two days identifying the places, where flyovers are required in the city.
“We are was also firm to include Amritsar in proposed ‘Smart City’ project of the Union Government so that it could witness world class infrastructure with a high pace all round development,” he added.