Amarinder Singh lays foundation stone of projects worth Rs 128 crore in Amritsar

Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Monday laid the foundation stones for five infrastructural projects, worth Rs 127.86 crore, in Amritsar.

He also announced an additional Rs 50 crore for tubewells to ensure a seamless supply of clean water in the holy city, pending the completion of the canal water supply network, an official statement said here.

A slew of tourism development projects, totalling Rs 187.47 crore, were too announced for the city, it said.

The chief minister pressed the button to lay the foundation stones, by remote, of two Railway Over Bridges (RoBs), one Railway under Bridge (RUB) and a flyover beside, an extension of the existing Bhandari Bridge.

The projects, said the chief minister, would go a long way in boosting the infrastructure of the old town and reducing traffic congesting.

Further noting that big cities like Amritsar, Jalandhar, Ludhiana and Patiala were facing acute water problems, the chief minister announced his government's decision to provide canal water to these four cities,

The chief minister also underlined the need for regular and thorough testing of water to check the spread of diseases.

The projects for which the foundation stones were laid included ROBs at Vallah Phatak on Amritsar-Delhi Railway line and on Amritsar-Attari section at Khajana Gate, RUB at Jaura Phatak on Amritsar-Delhi section and Amritsar-Pathankot section, and of flyover at Sant Singh Sukha Singh (SSSS Chowk) on Majitha Road, besides extension of the existing Bhandari Bridge by constructing a parallel additional bridge.

The total cost of these projects is Rs 127.86 crore, of which Rs 111.56 crore would be borne by the Amritsar Improvement Trust (AIT), with the Railways contributing Rs 16.30 Crore for the ROB at Vallah being built on a cost-sharing basis, the statement said.

The ROB to be built at Vallah Phatak would be completed at a cost of Rs 34 crore and the tenders in this regard would be floated by AIT. The other ROB to be built at Amritsar-Attari section would entail a cost of Rs 25 crores, it said.

Construction of RUB at Jaura Phatak would be completed at a cost of Rs 28.70 crore for which tenders would be invited by Railways.

The total cost of Rs 18.16 crore for construction of a flyover at 4S Chowk on Majitha Road would be borne by AIT, the statement said.

The extension of Bhandari Bridge would be completed at a cost of Rs 22 crore, for which tenders have been called by AIT and evaluation of the tenders is under process after obtaining requisite approvals.

Underscoring the need to tap Amritsar's tourism potential, Amarinder said that several iconic tourism projects, worth Rs 37.46 crore were in progress, while another Rs 110.01 crore worth of projects were in the pipeline.

These included Rs 8 crore for VR/light and sound show at Jallianwala Bagh, for which Government of India's NoC was awaited.

Giving details, the Chief Minister said the Tourism and Culture department had received tenders for the remaining conservation, landscaping works of the historic Gobindgarh Fort at Rs 13.95 crore, while Rs 15.18 crore works were already in progress.

Further, a sum of Rs 8 crore would be spent on the conservation and setting up of a museum on the life of the legendary Sikh ruler Maharaja Ranjit Singh at the Summer Palace and was likely to be completed by the end of September next year.

(With inputs from agencies.)