Rs 52 cr okayed for civic amenities in Haridwar

Tribune News Service

Haridwar, July 21

Under the Central government’s Amrut scheme, Rs 52 crore has been sanctioned for checking waterlogging, water resources and renovation of parks in Haridwar city.

District BJP vice-president Vikas Tiwari stated this here today on behalf of MLA Madan Kaushik, who is busy in the special Assembly session in Dehradun.

The Amrut scheme being run by the Union Urban Development Ministry focuses on civic amenities in cities. Of Rs 52 crore sanctioned, Rs 25 crore will be spent on sewerage and drainage to ensure that untreated polluted water doesn’t merge with the Ganga, Rs 6 crore for checking waterlogging and Rs 80 lakh for the renovation of parks.

Tiwari said under the Amrut scheme, waterlogging, which has emerged a major problem in the town in the past few years, would be dealt with.

“For 2015-16, Rs 20.93 crore has been allocated and for 2016-17, Rs 32 crore has been sanctioned. A detailed project report has been sent by respective departments and nodal agencies. With this, the city’s urban infrastructure will get a major facelift,” he said.

He added this was a short-term solution to install a pipe line and a motor at Bhagat Singh chowk, Chandracharya chowk, Prem Nagar ashram Ganga canal bridge stretch. Chief Minister Harish Rawat had sanctioned Rs 45 lakh had been sanctioned under the disaster management fund.

“Fearing that the BJP will take credit of development works, Chief Minister Harish Rawat sanctioned Rs 45 lakh instantly for this project. For the past four years, the Congress has not given a single project to the city, but as they came to know of sanctioning of Rs 50 crore by the Urban Ministry to hide their inefficiency, this grant was allocated in haste,” said Tiwari.

Media spokesperson Anirudh Bhatti criticised the government for the low quality works done during Ardh Kumbh. “The hill bypass flyover stretch built six months ago for the fair caved in. A huge sum was spent on it,” he said.