Labour shortage delays project for canal water supply to househoolds in Amritsar

The Amritsar Bulk Water Supply Scheme (ABWSS), aimed at providing clean, treated water from the Upper Bari Doab Canal (UBDC) to every household in the city, has been significantly delayed due to an acute labour shortage, reportedly triggered by the aftermath of Operation Sindoor.

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The scheme, part of the Punjab Municipal Services Improvement Project (PMSIP) being implemented by the Amritsar Municipal Corporation with support from the World Bank and Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), was reviewed at a high-level meeting chaired by Additional Commissioner Surinder Singh under the directions of Municipal Commissioner Gulpreet Singh Aulakh.

During the review, Project Manager Kuldeep Singh Saini (retired Chief Engineer), provided a detailed briefing on the project’s current status. He informed the Additional Commissioner that due to the war-like situation, a large number of migrant labourers have returned to their native places, resulting in a slowdown of on-site work.

In response, the Additional Commissioner issued stern directives to Larsen & Toubro’s Project Manager Rahul Patel, urging the company to urgently address the workforce shortage. He instructed that the number of labourers must be increased, and that additional construction machinery and necessary resources be deployed immediately to ensure that the project is completed within the stipulated time-frame.

Emphasising public safety and convenience, the Additional Commissioner further instructed that any ongoing construction work must prioritise the safety of residents and minimise disruptions in daily life. “People should not be inconvenienced due to construction, and all necessary precautions must be taken,” he added.

The ABWSS, once completed, will transform the water supply system in Amritsar by delivering treated canal water directly to households, reducing dependence on depleting groundwater resources and ensuring a sustainable urban water infrastructure.

Besides the water supply initiative, Surinder Singh shared insights into the broader scope of the Punjab Municipal Services Improvement Project, under which digitisation of municipal services is also being pursued. He revealed that efforts were on to digitise municipal records, and work on related tenders is actively progressing. “The objective is to make civic services more accessible, efficient and timely for citizens,” he noted.