Mega housing projects cleared by Congress being reviewed

Patiala, Apr 5 (UNI) Punjab minister for Information and Public Relations and Environment Bikramjit Singh Majithia said here today that the SAD-BJP government was reviewing the clearance given by the previous Congress government to certain mega housing projects in utter violation of the laid down norms.

In an informal interaction with mediapersons here this morning, Mr Majithia alleged that the Amarinder Singh government had given clearance to certain ''favoured parties'' to set up residential colonies adjacent to industrial units in violation of laid down norms which were amended to suit specific interests.

He said the government was responding to the Punjab and Haryana High Court order which had said that residential colonies could not be developed as close as 100 metres of industrial units in view of the pollution.

He expressed the hope that the work of review of the no-objection certificates would be completed shortly in compliance of the high court orders.

Referring to another query, he said the Punjab government would expose the ''wrong doings'' of former advisor to Capt Amarinder Singh, B I S Chahal. Majithia, who is also public health minister, that the department had got a grant of Rs 1280 crore from the World Bank, the union government and the state government and this would be spent on provision of safe potable water in the rural areas of Punjab.

The public health department had taken up a two-pronged action of sanctioning new water works and removing snags in the existing water supply works, he said.

Mr Majithia assured journalists that the information and public relations department would do justice to small and medium Punjabi newspapers. He also assured the journalists that they would be given a better deal.

UNI