New Delhi, August 29
With an eye on the forthcoming Assembly election in Punjab, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh recently reviewed the progress of infrastructure projects and directed the state and central ministers to speed up their implementation.
The projects were monitored by the PMO along with the Punjab Government and Central ministries and departments concerned to ascertain the progress of various schemes at the ground level.
Special attention was given to upgrading and widening the Amritsar-Wagha road.
The Amritsar-Jalandhar, Amritsar-Pathankot, Kiratpur-Chandigarh and Ambala-Chandigarh roads were also being taken up under the National Highway Development Programme.
The Ambala-Jalandhar and Ludhiana-Chandigarh roads were proposed to be made six-lane highways, while the high-speed railway corridor was being extended up to Ludhiana.
Steps were also being taken for the setting up of a new international airport in the state, an official release said.
Other initiatives include the Galiara project around Shri Harmandir Sahib, completion of the Khalsa Heritage Project at Shri Anandpur Sahib, upgrade of the Post-Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research in Chandigarh, establishment of a bio-technology hub in the state and coverage of Amritsar and Ludhiana under the National Urban Renewal Mission.
The Prime Minister had also taken several educational and social initiatives, foremost among them being the announcement of the Indian Institute of Science and Research in Punjab.
The Centre of Research on Shri Guru Granth Sahib Studies had started functioning, it said.
Special emphasis was being given to infrastructure projects, as with a high urbanisation rate, the Punjab economy was fast moving towards processing of agricultural output and entering the area of service sector, it added.
