Chandigarh admn seeks partnerships with Singapore

Chandigarh, Mar 26 (UNI) Offering partnerships in a wide range of fields to the delegation from Singapore, the Punjab Governor and Administrator, UT, Gen (Retd) S F Rodrigues here today said the Chandigarh Administration had established a responsive and transparent monitoring system with focus on an investment friendly environment in different fields of endeavour.

During the interaction with Singapores senior Minister, Mr Goh Chok Tong and members of the delegation, General Rodrigues strongly advocated the need for major initiatives to give a boost to collaboration in different areas like Information Technology, Health, Education and Agriculture, which can be of immense mutual benefit to both sides.

He told the delegation that Chandigarh caters to the needs of 60 million people of the region and the administration had created an efficient support, structure to ensure quality of life.

He said that this region is moving ahead in different sectors of economic growth and development and that a world class IT park is at an advanced stage of completion, which will provide job opportunities to about 60,000 professionals and unskilled workforce.

An Education City is coming up and the education programmes have been selected with focus on professionalism, Mr Rodrigues .

He said that a Medicity is being set up in Chandigarh, with research facilities in fields of health care like Ayurveda, yoga and homeopathy. He said that a special arrangement is being made in this project for imparting training in nursing.

The Governor further said that a Film City, theme park, Amusement Park, World Class Aquarium are also coming up, marking the beginning of a new era of development and prosperity and that the UT administration is also exploring the possibility of generating power from solar and wind energy and also paddy and wheat straw in collaboration with the Punjab Government.

With a view to step up connectivity, General Rodrigues told the delegation that the upgradation of Chandigarh Airport to the international standards has already been approved and work on the expanded Terminal Complex has been started. More flights have been added in the last 2-3 years.

Gen Rodrigues said that he had already spoken to the Union Railway Minister to start a super fast train service between Delhi and Amritsar via Chandigarh. A process for introducing a mass rapid transport system in the City and satellite towns, in collaboration with adjoining states has started as well.

General Rodrigues further said that Punjab has an agrarian economy, with a major part of rural population having small land holdings who need a good supportive infrastructure and marketing facilities for their produce. He said that the administration was setting up a Terminal Market in the City, which will serve the farming community of the whole region, for the export of their produce to other countries, thus making agriculture more profitable.

During the discussion, the Singapore minister appreciated the vision, involvement and commitment of the Administration in development oriented ventures and stressed the need for stepping up dialogue and interaction with the concerned authorities in regard to opportunities of investment and trade available in the region.

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