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Punjab: Eight Patiala pending projects, many govts and residents’ woes
Due to these pending works, Patiala has been slipping in the national cleanliness rankings. In the 2023 Swachh Survekshan ranking, Patiala was at 120th place – a drop from 58th rank in 2021.
Amid the blame game among political parties, eight major projects have failed to see the light of day for years in the city. These developmental projects became key political planks amid electioneering for the civic body elections for 60 wards of the Patiala Municipal Corporation (MC). Some of these projects have been pending for over a decade.
Due to these pending works, Patiala has been slipping in the national cleanliness rankings. In the 2023 Swachh Survekshan ranking, Patiala was at 120th place – a drop from 58th rank in 2021.
The eight major projects that couldn’t see the light of the day are dairy shifting project, solid waste management, enhancing sewage treatment plant capacity, beautification of Rajindra Lake, canal-based drinking water project, development work of Badi and Chhoti Nadi, heritage street and street vendor shifting project.
The dairy shifting project, which is said to have been responsible for the choking of sewers and waterlogging in Patiala city, has failed to kick-start for years. The project was aimed at shifting 257 dairy units operating within the city to a 21-acre site in Ablowal village on the outskirts.
Similarly, the rejuvenation project of both the rainwater rivulets — Badi and Chhoti Nadi — has failed to complete. Jeona Khan, president of Muslim Welfare Colony in Old Bishan Nagar, said, “Chhoti Nadi and Badi Nadi wreak havoc during the monsoon season for the residents in colonies living on the banks. Not only floods, foul smell from these two rivulets also haunts the residents. Untreated sewage is being discharged into these waterbodies.”
Regarding enhancing the capacity of the sewage treatment plant, AAP has already included it among the five guarantees for the MC polls.”
Patiala city’s canal-based potable water supply project, which aims at channelising the water distribution system and controlling the depleting groundwater level due to the traditional tube well system, has already missed its deadline of October 12, 2023.
AAP state chief Aman Arora said, “These projects could not be completed as leaders of political parties, which were in power back then, have spent only 20% of the sanctioned funds while the rest were siphoned off. Action will be taken against those leaders once AAP wins elections as preliminary report has to be submitted by the MC Patiala – which has not been done so far.”
Meanwhile, BJP leader and party’s Punjab Mahila Morcha president Jai Inder Kaur accused the AAP government of stopping vital development projects. “The 24x7 canal-based drinking water project was a brainchild of former CM Captain Amarinder Singh and was initiated by him with the aid of the central government. The work should have been completed by now had the AAP government didn’t purposefully halt the programme,” she said.
She added that the work of clearing the Patiala dumping ground was also stopped by the current AAP government even though the funds had already been sanctioned by the previous Captain Amarinder Singh government and half the work had already been completed.
Senior Shiromani Akali Dal leader Amrinder Bazaz, former mayor of the Patiala MC, said, “We had started majority of these projects, but the successive governments of Congress and AAP deliberately put these issues on the back burner. If we come to power, we will complete these projects on priority.”
