Chief minister Bhagwant Mann on Friday dedicated development projects worth over ₹107 crore in Sunam, including a trauma centre, a medicines warehouse and a blood bank, besides laying the foundation stone of the Sant Attar Singh Maharaj Armed Forces Preparatory Institute. He also paid tributes to Shaheed Udham Singh at a state-level function marking the revolutionary’s 87th martyrdom day.
Addressing a gathering, Mann said that the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government is committed to fulfilling the dreams of the freedom fighters.
“Building the Punjab and India envisioned by the martyrs requires collective effort. Providing quality education, healthcare and employment while eliminating corruption is the true tribute to our freedom fighters. Our government is working at the grassroots to fulfil their dreams,” he said.
Mann said projects worth ₹107.78 crore have been dedicated to the people of Sunam on the occasion.
The chief minister said the worth ₹98.68-crore Sant Attar Singh Maharaj Armed Forces Preparatory Institute would be built at Cheema village on 13.42 acres and provide training facilities for the youth of Punjab, especially the Malwa region, to prepare for careers in the armed forces.
“The institute will prepare students for recruitment into the army, navy, air force and other security forces. It will have residential facilities for 500 cadets, and separate modern hostels will be constructed for 250 boys and 250 girls,” he said.
{{/usCountry}}“The institute will prepare students for recruitment into the army, navy, air force and other security forces. It will have residential facilities for 500 cadets, and separate modern hostels will be constructed for 250 boys and 250 girls,” he said.
{{/usCountry}}The campus will include smart classrooms, an administrative block, a library, a study hall, and a 300-seat auditorium along with an open-air theatre, canteen and dining hall.
Sports infrastructure will feature two basketball courts, two volleyball courts, a swimming pool, hockey and football grounds, a squash court, a modern gymnasium, a parade ground and specialised physical training facilities, he added.
Mann said the trauma centre will provide round-the-clock emergency healthcare to residents of Sunam and nearby areas. “The centre has a 10-bed emergency and intensive care unit (ICU), and 24×7 emergency services will be available for patients requiring immediate medical attention. Facilities include ventilators, an operation theatre, digital X-ray and CT scan services. The centre will be staffed with orthopaedic specialists, surgeons, experienced nurses and trained technicians,” he added.
He said a ₹3.68-crore medicines warehouse would ensure uninterrupted supply of essential medicines to government hospitals and Aam Aadmi Clinics, while the ₹42.19-lakh modern blood bank would have a storage capacity of 100 to 150 blood units.
AAP Punjab in-charge Manish Sisodia and party’s state president and minister Aman Arora were also present.
Ahead of Mann’s visit, police detained around 150 activists from various employees’ unions, including leaders of the Berozgar Sanjha Morcha, the Computer Teachers’ Union, and the Vocational Teachers’ Union across the district. Police said all those detained were released in the evening.
Sukhwinder Singh Dhillwan, a leader of Berozgar Sanjha Morcha, said they had called the protest to highlight the government’s failure to fulfil promises of employment and education.
“Unemployed youths have been protesting in Sangrur for over seven and a half months, yet instead of holding dialogue, the government and administration are sending police to raid their homes,” Dhillwan alleged, claiming police came looking for him at his residence in Tapa on Thursday night.
The protesting employees have been demanding job regularisation and merger of their cadres with the state education department.