Punjab: Captain Amarinder Singh to virtually inaugurate many city projects today

LUDHIANA: Chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh will virtually inaugurate some projects for the city on Saturday. These will also include some of the Smart City projects. The municipal corporation officials are on their toes to make all necessary arrangements.
However, over two years ago too he had inaugurated some of the Smart City projects, of which only one has been completed while the rest are either at construction stage or yet to take off.The authorities are tight-lipped over previous projects and claim that due to Covid-19 a lot of time was wasted otherwise these would have been completed.
On Saturday, the CM will lay the foundation stone for a chain link fencing project around Buddha Nullah and covering of the drain in Shivaji Nagar. While the city residents are awaiting the beginning of Buddha Nullah rejuvenation project, the government will inaugurate the chain link fencing around it. Even for the covering of the drain in Shivaji Nagar, MLA Surinder Dawar had recently laid the foundation stone amid much fanfare. Apart from this, Smart City projects of lighting at the Clock Tower as well as Sidhwan Canal waterfront, slaughterhouse and some schools’ works have been included for the inauguration.
On March 11, 2018, the CM had laid foundation stones for LED streetlights, smart Malhar Road project, Sarabha Nagar beautification, installation of road signage, 24x7 canal-based water supply in ABD area and augmentation of existing sewerage system and storm-water drainage system of ABD. Of these, only signage project has been completed. LED streetlights are yet to be installed in the entire city; the work at Malhar Road and Sarabha Nagar market is going on; and canal-based water supply and augmentation of storm sewage in ABD have not even taken off.
An official claimed that the projects were going on smoothly, but the pace slowed due to the lockdown, besides it took almost a year even after the foundation stone was laid to hire contractors because tenders were floated thrice. He said they were trying to complete the projects as soon as possible.
Akali Dal district president and former MLA from East constituency Ranjit Dhillon said, “This is total eyewash by Amarinder Singh because some of the projects have already been inaugurated. The CM had laid foundation stone for a few other projects some time back and those are yet to be completed. The Congress is trying to fool people.”
BJP state vice-president Parveen Bansal said most of the projects were under Smart City mission for which the Centre has paid its share. He said the Congress leaders wanted to take credit for works funded under the mission and which were started by the BJP.
Mayor Balkar Sandhu said, “If Covid-19 had not struck, we would have completed these projects. We are also getting new projects inaugurated by the CM. We also fulfilled the promise to construct one side of Jagraon Bridge flyover. Opposition parties raise hue and cry over everything.”