Delays on mega projects not to be tolerated:Amarinder

Chandigarh, Jun 28 (UNI) Punjab Chief Minister, Amarinder Singh today directed officials to ensure that all housing, township and multi-plex projects approved by the state Empowered Committee, are ''on ground'' by July 31.

Presiding over a high level meeting to review the implementation of these projects, Capt Singh said procedural delays would not be allowed to hamper the implementation of these projects.

He asked the concerned agencies like Punjab Urban Development Authority (PUDA), Town and Country Planning, Forest department and State Pollution Control Board to ensure prompt clearances to the promoters without any procedural hurdles.

The Chief Minister directed Chief Secretary K R Lakhanpal to personally convene a joint meeting of the officers of these agencies and promoters to sort out the issues there and then on July 3. He also asked the Secretary Housing and Urban Development A R Talwar to hold two meetings in every week of the concerned officers or their representatives and the promoters to thrash out the issues pertaining to the clearances of these mega projects on the spot.

He also directed Mr Talwar to designate senior officers of PUDA as nodal officers to coordinate with the other agencies to seek timely clearances of projects from the concerned quarters to enable the promoters to set up their ventures with in the stipulated time frame.

Showing deep concern over the inordinate delay in the clearances of these ventures, Capt Singh said that the very objective of the Empowered Committee was negated, if these approved projects had to pass through tedious and cumbersome procedures. He said the basic role of the government as a facilitator was to motivate the entrepreneurs without causing any undue harassment to those who were pumping in major investments.

He underscored the need to have perfect liaison and follow a coordinated approach to ensure the implementation of these projects in a time bound manner. He pointed out that delay in the implementation of these prestigious projects would send a wrong signal down-the-line, thereby dampening the spirit of the prospective investors who were looking at Punjab as the most favoured investment destination.

The Chief Minister was informed in the meeting that the Empowered Committee on mega projects had so far approved 36 multiplex complexes at an investment of Rs 6222.04 crores and 44 Housing and Township projects involving an investment of Rs 27,696 crores.

UNI HS VD HT1642