Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann pulls up officials for failure to handle garbage, sewer issues

Deepkamal Kaur

Jalandhar, July 25

Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Thursday held a two-hour meeting with the Deputy Commissioners and SSPs of eight districts of Majha and Doaba regions and sought development agenda from them.

Mann had convened the meeting at the Punjab Armed Police complex here that was also attended by local Aam Aadmi Party MLAs and halqa in-charges. He said as poll code was no longer in force, now was the time to quickly execute the projects — the old, stuck-up projects under Smart City schemes. Mann also pulled up officials for not handling city waste properly and managing problems of sewage overflow. “You all need to prioritise cleanliness of cities,” he told the officials.

For the meeting, all Deputy Commissioners had been asked to bring in three proposals for development projects of their respective districts. Hoshiarpur DC Komal Mittal is learnt to have raked up the need to have kandi development plan executed to deal with water shortage issues and nuisance of wild animals. A bypass in Garhshankar towards Chandigarh was also proposed. The need to have a subdivision office in Tanda was also flagged by her.

Likewise for Gurdaspur, a proposal was reportedly made by Deputy Commissioner Vishesh Sarangal to use the available 1,300 acre gram panchayat land in Kalanaur for setting up a solar plant or a mega industry. The need to raise the 1,300-km embankment along the Beas by four feet was also raised. The need to expedite work for strengthening the Gurdaspur-Mukerian road and commissioning of 50 MLD STP at Batala was also put up.

Jalandhar Police Commissioner Swapan Sharma flagged the need to have more bikes for patrolling in the narrow lanes of the city. AAP MLAs and halqa in-charges from Jalandhar also put up proposals for their respective areas. For Nakodar, MLA Inderjit Kaur Mann is learnt to have proposed to develop a tourism site along Jahangir’s fort falling on the Kapurthala road. Nurmahal Sarai can also be a part of this circuit, she urged.

‘No plan for local bodies poll yet’

On the sidelines of the meeting, CM Bhagwant Mann clearly spelt out before the media that there was no plan yet to hold the local bodies elections in the state. Even as he was told that MC elections in cities like Jalandhar were pending for 18 months, he said: “If we continue holding elections, we shall not be able to perform. We need time to complete our pending projects and initiate new works in cities.”