Road project gets ₹90-cr central funding, storage godowns miss out

PROJECT FOR CONSTRUCTION OF 5.6KM APPROACH ROAD FROM NH 44 TO INTEGRATED MANUFACTURING CLUSTER, RAJPURA, CLEARED

PM GATI SHAKTI

CHANDIGARH : The Punjab government has got central funding of Rs 90 crore for its road connectivity project for Integrated Manufacturing Cluster Rajpura under the Prime Minister Gati Shakti Scheme, but missed out on construction of covered storage capacity for foodgrains in 10 districts.

The Union ministry of finance cleared the project for construction of a 5.6-kilometre approach road by Greater Mohali Development Authority (GMADA) from National Highway 44 to Integrated Manufacturing Cluster Rajpura at a cost of Rs 106 crore. Of this, Rs 90 crore has been approved under the Scheme for Special Assistance to States for Capital Investment, according to a communication sent by the public finance- states division of the finance ministry.

The financial assistance will be made available to the state government in financial year 2022-23. The project, selected by the state’s Empowered Group of Secretaries headed by the chief secretary for seeking funding under the central programme, was vetted and recommended by the department of promotion of industry and internal trade (DPIIT) of the Union ministry of commerce and industry for assistance under PM Gati Shakti programme.

The Punjab government had also sent for financial assistance another project for setting up new godowns with storage capacity of 1,15,000 metric tonne (MT) in Muktsar, Sangrur, Fazilka, Ludhiana and Moga districts and create covered storage space on existing plinths with 22,500 MT capacity in Bathinda, Patiala, Kapurthala, SBS Nagar and Ludhiana districts at Rs 93.80 crore.

Punjab State Warehousing Corporation, which is implementing the project, stored about 2.34 lakh MT of wheat in Rabi Marketing Season 2022-23 in open at various locations in the state after making all efforts to arrange the covered space.