Chandigarh, August 22: Punjab Local Government Minister S. Balkar Singh stated that the Punjab government, led by Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann, is continuously striving to provide a clean and pollution-free environment for city dwellers. Special attention is being given to making the cities of Punjab free from garbage and ensuring proper sanitation, maintaining the working condition of streetlights, and providing clean water.
Today, in a meeting with the Executive officers of Municipal Councils/Nagar Panchayats and Improvement Trusts at Municipal Bhawan, the Cabinet Minister directed the officers to pay special attention to cleanliness to make the cities of the state clean and garbage-free. He emphasized that wherever there are piles of garbage, they should be cleaned up as soon as possible and sent to the processing plants for treatment so that the cities can be made clean and green. He urged officials to pay special attention to sewerage cleanliness in the cities, ensuring that dirty sewerage does not accumulate in the streets and roads due to blockages, especially during the rainy season.
- Balkar Singh also highlighted that providing clean drinking water to city dwellers is a commitment of the government. He ordered that daily tasks related to Urban Local Bodies should be handled in a timely manner.
The Local Government Minister reiterated that the state government, led by Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann, is working hard to provide corruption-free administration to the people of Punjab. Therefore, if any officer or employee is found involved in corruption, strict action will be taken. He also appealed to the authorities to maintain transparency and quality in the development works.
On this occasion, the Local Government Minister reviewed the ongoing projects under various schemes and the status of unused funds with the Executive officers. He instructed the officials to utilize the unused funds for development work as soon as possible. He warned that if the unused funds are not spent on public interest development works, appropriate action will be initiated against the concerned officials. He assured the officials that there is no shortage of funds for development works, and if additional funds are required, a comprehensive proposal should be prepared and sent to the headquarters.
Additional Chief Secretary of the Local Government Department, Tejveer Singh, also reviewed the status of Sewerage Treatment Plants and Water Treatment Plants. He instructed the officials to expedite the completion of ongoing projects related to sewerage and water treatment. He further emphasized the need to identify suitable panchayat Lands for these plants, and if panchayat Lands are unavailable, officials should follow government protocols and collaborate with the concerned officials and district administration to identify and acquire a private Land as soon as possible.
Deepti Uppal, Director of the Local Government Department and CEO of PMIDC, directed the Executive Officers to remove garbage piles to ensure cleanliness in the cities and send the waste to the processing plants. Additionally, she instructed that sewage systems be cleaned and all streetlights be kept in working condition. She mentioned that the work of Urban Local Bodies will be reviewed weekly to ensure a clean environment for city dwellers.
The Executive officers of Municipal Councils/Nagar Panchayats and Improvement Trusts were specially present in the meeting.
