Badal launches City Bus Service in Punjab

Jalandhar, Aug 17 (UNI) Making rapid strides towards the overall urban development in the state, Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal here today launched the states first City Bus Service.

He travelled in a Blue Line Bus from BMC chowk to Namdev Chowk along with Local Bodies Minister Manoranjan Kalia and other prominent dignitaries .

At a function on this occasion here at Red Cross Bhawan, Mr Badal presented a cheque of Rs 101 crore to the Local Municipal Corporation for undertaking various development works in the city.

He reiterated the state government had already conceptualised a master plan for the citys growth and modernisation in consultation with internationally acclaimed architects and planners. He also mentioned about the vision of SAD-BJP government to accord the highest priority to the planned growth of the urban sector to check unplanned and haphazard development.

He said the formation of development authorities for the corporation cities of Jalandhar, Ludhiana, Mohali and Bathinda was a right step in this direction. He said all the ongoing developmental works in Jalandhar would be completed within a stipulated time frame.

He also announced that the Punjab Institute of Medical Science here would be made functional within next three months and assured it would provide medical facilities to the people at the rates prescribed by PGI, Chandigarh.

He also mentioned that the State Government was already in touch with Sulab International-an NGO, for the construction of low cost public toilets at all the public places in both rural and urban areas.

Referring to an issue for the grant of special incentives by the Union Government to the neighboring states of J&K, Uttrakhand and Himachal Pradesh, Mr Badal said that he had already impressed upon the Centre not to extend these concessions any more as these were detrimental to the interests of Punjab's Industry.

Earlier, the Chief Minister laid the foundation stone of Rs 42.60 crore Railway Over Bridge (ROB) near Layalpur Khalsa College which would be completed within a period of 18 months.

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