Rs 217 cr for pending sewer works in Faridkot district

Tribune News Service

Faridkot, February 19

Local Government Minister Navjot Singh Sidhu today released funds worth Rs 216.67 crore for the completion of sewerage projects in Faridkot city, Kotkapura and Jaito towns of the district.

Started in February 2014, the fate of these projects was hanging in balance due to the alleged inaction by the state government.

Almost all roads in these towns were dug up to lay sewer pipes in the past three years due to which normal life was put out of gear.

Accompanied by PPCC president Sunil Jakhar and Faridkot MLA Kushaldeep Dhillon, Sidhu said the work on sewerage works in Faridkot city, Kotkapura and Jaito would be completed before the next year’s Lok Sabha elections at a cost of Rs 93.11 crore, Rs 87.91 crore and Rs 35.65 crore, respectively.

Jakhar said in order to ensure proper quality check over these works, the state government had a plan of hiring young engineers from colleges and universities for random checking of these projects.

Lashing out at the SAD-BJP regime, Sidhu said the previous government in its ‘misrule’ of 10 years had made the state backward in every sphere. “To woo public just before the elections, the SAD-BJP government released just Rs 7 crore to lay foundation stones for sewerage works,” Sidhu said.

‘Last rites’ of foundation stone

Ridiculing laying of foundation stones by the SAD-BJP regime, Navjot Sidhu, Sunil Jakhar and Kushaldeep Dhillon went to one such foundation stone laid by Sukhbir Singh Badal on February 26, 2014, and performed its ‘last rites’ as it had not been completed in the past four years. Speaking on the occasion, Jakhar said the 24 foundation stones laid by the previous government for the development of sewerage projects in Faridkot had seen no progress. Maghar Singh, Faridkot circle president of the SAD, condemned the Congress for performing “last rites” of a foundation stone. This political gimmick has hurt the religious sentiments of Sikhs and Hindus, he claimed.