Capt lays stones of ₹700-cr projects to improve urban environment

CHANDIGARH: Chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh on Saturday virtually laid the foundation stones of projects worth Rs 700 crore to start phase-ii of the Rs 11,000 crore Urban Environment Improvement Programme (UEIP).

The CM also announced a one- time settlement ( OTS) scheme for pending VAT assessments to promote economic activity in urban areas.

Launching projects across all the 167 urban local body towns of the state, the CM said the department of excise & taxation will soon notify the scheme, which his government had decided to initiate in view of the concern of businesses that issues related to their VAT assessments and grievances were not been redressed speedily.

Noting that cities are also centres of economic activity, with focus on trade and industry, the CM said he had asked the industries and taxation departments to work out a more user-friendly system to ensure that businesses, industry and traders do not have to go from one office to another.

Amarinder also underlined the need to ensure cleanliness of towns, urging all cities to segregate domestic solid waste and appreciated Nawanshahr for its consistent good performance in the cleanliness surveys of the Centre. The CM pointed out that the state government had succeeded in securing finances for these projects, amid Covid, despite the acute financial crunch. Among the key projects, the CM cited canal-based water supply in the four big cities of Amritsar, Jalandhar, Ludhiana and Patiala, with work in Jalandhar being launched today.

Noting that around 40% of Punjab’s population lives in cities, which are generally regarded as engines of growth, Amarinder said the projects were in line with the various steps being taken by his government for the welfare of people in the cities.