Fulfil our demands, say Amritsar residents

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, September 12

With Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal slated to visit the city tomorrow, members of the civil society are expecting long-pending demands to get fulfilled like the rail link between Patti-Makhu, revival of BRTS services and the horticulture institute at Attari besides strengthening of the tourism sector.

AVM activists raise BRTS issue

AVM activists have raised the issue of BRTS in which more than 40,000 local bus riders, including tourists, students, employees, working women and those in the low income bracket availed the safe, affordable and air-conditioned Bus Rapid Transit System service.

Principal Kulwant Singh Ankhi, patron, Amritsar Vikas Manch, had written to the Delhi CM who is also the AAP supremo to fulfill the genuine and urgent demands of city residents. Ankhi stated that the Patti-Makhu rail link was sanctioned by the Central Government in 2013. The Centre sanctioned a budget of about Rs 1,000 crore and the first installment of Rs 299 crore was released. The Punjab government issued a notification to acquire the land on March 3, 2022 and Rs 50 crore was sanctioned in the 2021 Budget. But till date, the land has not been acquired due to non-payment of price to the land owners. “We have requested Kejriwal to become helpful by issuing instructions to the Punjab government to acquire the land for laying the rail line,” added Ankhi.

The Post-Graduate Institute of Horticulture Research and Education (PGIHRE), Amritsar, was sanctioned by the Central Government in 2015. For research experiments in the field of horticulture, land measuring 100 acres in village Attari was transferred to the Indian Council of Agriculture Research (ICAR), the Central Government’s department responsible for establishing the PGIHRE in Amritsar. The site selection committee of ICAR selected 30 acres of land in village Chhiddan on main Amritsar-Attari road for the construction of administration, academic and residential blocks. All official formalities were completed and a notification under Section 19 of the Punjab Land Acquisition Act was also issued. But at this mature stage of land acquisition, the Punjab government issued a letter to search for panchayat land, whereas no suitable panchayat land was available in the district and it was conveyed to the state government. “Kejriwal should help by issuing instructions to the Punjab Government to acquire the land for the establishment of Centrally-funded Horticulture Research institute,” he added.

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