HARSIMRAT FLAGS DELAY IN FOOD PARK PROJECT, URGES CM FOR A PUSH

food processing minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal on Friday requested chief minister Capt Amarinder Singh to monitor the progress of the Rs 117-crore Mega Food Park at Ludhiana allotted to the staterun Punjab Agro Industries Corporation (PAIC) as, she said, not only is it running behind schedule but even work on primary collection centres (PPCs) has not been initiated. She said the project was granted final approval by her ministry in November 2015 along with a Rs 50-crore grant, and it was to be completed by this summer but “forget completion, it has not even started in earnest”.

At a review meeting of the project with PAIC officials here, the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader, who is MP from Bathinda, said there was no progress on PPCs since the last review meeting in December. The PPCs are to come up in Hoshiarpur, Amritsar, Fazilka and Bathinda.

Slow pace of work has already attracted a penalty during release of second instalment of the central grant, she noted as per a press release issued here. She said the Union ministry would be constrained to levy further penalty for the delayed period while releasing the third grant. Papers that should have been submitted in October last year have not been submitted till now, she added, “Even work needed to avail the third instalment from the food processing ministry has not been completed.” She underlined that a Rs 10-crore grant received was lying unutilised with the PAIC. “Moreover, PAIC has used money received earlier to construct roads and establish an ETP (effluent treatment plant).”

While requesting the CM to monitor the project, she said it has potential to benefit thousands of farmers and generate employment opportunities.

BITTU UNHAPPY

Meanwhile, local MP Ravneet Singh Bittu, who belongs to the state’s ruling party Congress, criticised not having been informed about her visit.

“The project is not the property of a single person but of the government,” he said.

Project was granted final approval in 2015 along with a ~50cr grant, and it was to be completed by this summer but, forget completion, it has not even started in earnest. HARSIMRAT KAUR BADAL, Union minister for food processing