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Punjab Government plans to construct 25,000 EWS houses in two phases: Aman Arora
Housing and urban development minister Aman Arora said the state government will give the houses in two phases as the model is ready and the tendering process has been initiated.
The Punjab government will construct 25,000 houses for families falling under the economically weaker section (EWS) category, said housing and urban development minister Aman Arora in the state assembly.
Responding to AAP MLA Kulwant Singh’s query during Question Hour, Arora said the state government will give the houses in two phases as the model is ready and the tendering process has been initiated.
The SAS Nagar MLA had asked the minister about the number of colonies, mega projects and industrial and housing projects approved by the government in the past more than two decades, the extent of land reserved for EWS in these colonies and whether the land has been taken over by the state government.
Arora informed the House that between 2002 and 2022, 615 colonies had been issued licenses and 58 mega projects were approved since 2003, including 36 mega housing projects, 19 industrial mega projects and three super mega housing/industrial projects. “A total of 472.68 acres of land has been reserved for EWS category in these colonies and projects. Out of which possession of 300.45 acres has been taken over by the government,” he said, adding, “Action is being taken by issuing notices to obtain possession of the remaining area, which will be completed soon.”
The minister said, no flats were allotted by the buildings to the EWS category. He said that nine builders had reserved 520 flats, out of which 249 were reserved by eight builders under the jurisdiction of GMADA and 271 by a builder under the Jalandhar Development Authority. He said in the case of the colony of apartments, the government had also made provision to deposit an amount of ₹1,500 per square foot for the minimum size of 25 sqm apartment in lieu of providing EWS apartments, and 23 builders deposited ₹32.84 crore in lieu of providing EWS flats. “The money is proposed to be spent on EWS houses,” he added in a detailed reply.
421 health centres functional in rural areas
Health minister Dr Balbir Singh said that 421 primary health centres (PHCs) and mini PHCs (MHPCs) are functional in the rural areas of the state, out of which 318 have been upgraded on the pattern of Aam Aadmi Clinic (AAC). “The work of 51 PHCs and MHPCs is under progress and will be completed by March 31,” he said in a reply to AAP MLA Gurlal Singh’s question about whether the buildings of PHCs and MHPCs in villages are currently in a dilapidated condition and the time by which these would be repaired. The minister also said the remaining 52 centres are either in a dilapidated or unsafe condition, and a proposal to construct new buildings in their place is under consideration by the state government.
3.73 lakh arms licences in Punjab, 813 cancelled
Chief minister Bhagwant Mann said that Punjab has a total number of 3.73 lakh arms licences with Gurdaspur topping the list of districts with 40,489 licences followed by Bathinda (29,353) and Patiala (28,340) as per the information received from all the district magistrates and commissioners on police. The government has cancelled 813 arms licences out of which 89 belonged to persons having a criminal record, he said in a written reply to AAP MLA Inderjit Kaur Mann’s un-starred question. The highest 235 arms licences have been cancelled in SAS Nagar after verification followed by 199 in Pathankot and 87 in Ludhiana. In Faridkot district, 84 arms licences have been cancelled. As per the reply, all 27 arms licences cancelled by the authorities in Amritsar were possessed by persons having a criminal record.
