Badal claims Rs 44,000 cr investment in Punjab

Ludhiana, July 14: Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal today claimed that due to the positive attitude of the government, an investment of Rs 44,000 crore had been made in the industrial sector in the state since March this year.

Listening to the problems of the Ludhiana industry from deputations of industrial and trade associations here, he listed the Rs 18,919 crore Batinda Oil Refinery as the major project which had been cleared by the Centre He said that the government was laying special emphasis on the strengthening of infrastructure and big projects costing upto Rs 7000 crore have been taken up during the first four months of the SAD- BJP Government. He announced that the government would initiate "special and concrete measures aimed at reinventing the industrial economy of the state" Keeping in view the magnitude of the problems presented by the deputations of industry and trade associations, the Chief Minister would discuss at length the problems faxed by the industrialists at a meeting at Chandigarh on July 27 and 28.

The Chief Minster informed the delegations that he would be meeting with Union Government officials shortly on the problems relating to the industry in the state caused by the distortions in the Center's concessional policies to certain states. He further informed that he would also take up the issue of freight equalisation with the Union Government.

The Chief Minister said that the government was committed to sort out all the genuine problems of the industry so as to create a congenial environment for its growth.

He claimed that many of the problems presented before him were in the process of redressal. Mr Badal said that the government was also bringing its new comprehensive industrial policy and was constituting two state level boards, the Industry Development Board and Trade Development Board, which would be headed by prominent persons associated with trade and industry.

Mr Badal said that SAD- BJP Government was committed to enhance power generation by 5000 MW within next five years and after the execution of new power projects, the state would be in a position to sell power to other states, after providing 24 hours power supply to the residents of the state. The Chief Minister revealed that the District level advisory committees would be constituted to thrash out the issues pertaining to the industry with regard to early clearance of NOC's from the Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB) and extension of power load etc to cut short the procedural delays. He asked the PPCB to streamline the procedure for issuing NOC's and to ensure to issue pollution clearance certificates to industry within one month of the receipt of the application positively.

Referring to the problems relating to the pollution from industrial discharge, Mr Badal said that the government would elisit views from the industry to evolve a suitable strategy to sort out the problem.

Regarding the complaint of poor condition of roads, sewerage and discharge of water at the industrial focal point, the Chief Minister asked the Commissioner MC to immediately prepare a concrete plan for the improvement in the roads and sewerage and to start the cleaning of sewerage.

Industries and Local government Minister. Manoranjan Kalia, who accompanied the Chief Minister, said that government was committed for the development and promotion of industry and informed that the government had disbursed the first capital subsidy installment of Rs 100 crores.

Mr Kalia assured that another subsidy sum of Rs 100 crore or more would also be released this year.

UNI