Project to be completed in one year at a cost of Rs 4,000 crore

NewZNew (New Delhi/Chandigarh) : Punjab Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal today offered management of municipal services in 140 towns of Punjab to investors at the Invest North conclave here.

Addressing a galaxy of investors and members of the trade and industry at the conclave organised by CII, Mr Badal said investors would be given the unique opportunity of building, operating and maintaining these services for a fixed tenure of five to ten years. “We want all these 140 towns to have all basic facilities like quality water, roads, sewerage and lighting within a span of one year”. Mr Badal said this project would be completed at a cost of Rs 4,000 crore.

Asserting that the process of outsourcing municipal services had already started, the Deputy CM said Shapoorji Pallonji had been given charge of municipal services in Bathinda while Trivani Industries had been given charge of part of Amritsar.

Mr. Badal also disclosed how the State had created the right atmosphere for investment and was now offering the cheapest power anywhere in the country besides being the number one State as far as ease of doing business was concerned. He detailed how the State electricity utility, which was in the red earlier, had turned around and been adjudged the best such utility in the country. “We now have a power generating capacity of 12,000 mw and are in a position to sell excess power”, he added.

The Deputy CM also announced that a number of steps had been taken to ensure industry did not face any harassment. “We have decided that no Inspector will be allowed to enter any factory premises”. He also detailed how the process of clearances for setting up shop in Punjab had been made completely hassle free. He said presently it took a little more than one month to get all necessary clearances to set up a unit in Punjab.

Mr Badal also highlighted how Punjab had achieved the distinction of having the best air and road connectivity in the country. He said the State had two international airports and four domestic airports. He said besides this every major town and city in the State would be linked with four and six lane expressways within two years.

Appreciating the efforts of Punjab to do away with the age old legislations and undertaking unique initiatives regarding investment projects, Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Commerce and Industry, Nirmala Sitharaman said the need of the hour is to implement reformative initiatives so as to ensure the success of ‘Make In India’ and ‘Digital India’ campaigns launched under the leadership of the Prime Minister Narendra Modi. She also asked the industrialists to be invest in in the country as India has ample opportunities.

Articulating his views Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal said his government is also taking every possible step to attract investments in the state. He informed that state is keen to further develop areas in and around Gurgaon as Industrial and IT hubs so that Haryana should lead in the era of digital technology. He informed that State Government is contemplating to hold investment summit in the next year to attract investments.

Centring his views on the ‘Build India-Build North’, Shreekant Somany, Chairman CII, Northern Region and Chairman and Managing Director Somany Ceramics Limited said the Northern region has always been in the forefront of every technological and industrial advancements made in the country.

Speaking on the occasion Sunil Kant Munjal Joint Managing Director of Hero Motocorp Ltd. and past President of CII said Northern India had played a vital role in the development of the nation and occupies a prominent place from the economic point of view as 30 percent of the population of the country comes from this region. Lauding the initiatives taken by the Punjab for making the State a favoured destination for investors, he said the economic revolution brought about in Punjab by the efforts of the state government would not only usher in an era of prosperity for the Punjab only but for the entire northern region.

Malvinder Mohan Singh Chairman CII Invest North and Executive Chairman Fortis Healthcare Ltd. said that close cohesion amongst the states of the region is necessary to take it further on the road to progress and economic development. He also said in the era of hi-tech age it is important for the states to focus pn developing various state-of-the-art technological tools leading to advancement in every sphere.