Khattar announces Rs100 cr to develop Saraswati, Topra Kalan

Shiv Kumar Sharma

Yamunanagar, April 10

To make Yamunanagar district a tourist hub, Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar today announced Rs 100 crore for the development of the Saraswati River and Topra Kalan village, known for Emperor Ashoka’s Pillar (Ashokan Column) worldwide, during his public meeting in Radaur.

Giving wings to the dream project of social worker and founder of The Buddhist Forum, Sidhartha Gauri, Khattar announced Rs 50 crore for Topra Kalan village where seven Ashoka Pillars, eight Rock Edicts and other ancient structures of Moaurian Time will be constructed. Gauri has been struggling for this project for four years.

The Chief Minister also announced Rs 50 crore for the development of the Saraswati River. This river has been flowing underground and the government has made a plan for its excavation to bring water on ground and to develop its area as a tourist spot.

The other major announcement made in the public meeting, organised by Radaur MLA Shyam Singh Rana, was that Yamunanagar-Kurukshetra road falling in Yamuanagar district area from Alipura village would be four-laned at a cost of Rs 80 crore.

Accepting other demands made by MLA Shyam Singh, the Chief Minister approved Rs 18.5 crore for 27 roads and announced allocation of Rs 10 crore for other 23 roads.

He also directed the officers to carry out development works, amounting to Rs 1.5 crore to Rs 2 crore, in 12 villages of Radaur Assembly segment, falling in the area of Municipal Corporation, Yamunanagar.

However, on the demand to upgrade Radaur as Sub-Division, Khattar said the state government had constituted a committee comprising three ministers. It would examine such issues in the entire state.

Khattar said chief secretaries of Haryana and Uttar Pradesh would meet soon to find a solution to the problem posed by the under-construction embankment along the bank of the Yamuna river in Tabbar village in UP.

“If UP agrees to construct a dam, Haryana too would do so and if UP takes any other step to deal with the problem, Haryana would also work in that direction,” he said.

He further said action would be taken according to the agreement entered into between the two states on the issue. The embankment would push the river water towards 34 villages of Yamunanagar district in rainy season and cause massive loss to life and property as there is no embankment on Haryana side.

Besides setting up of a 66 KV sub-station at Jamalpur village, he also announced the upgrade of the 30-bed Radaur Civic Health Centre to 50-bed and Rs 5 crore for providing sewerage facilities in Radaur.

He assured the farmers that each grain of their wheat crop would be procured by the five state agencies. Committees comprising 10 volunteers would be formed for all-round development of villages under Tarun Village Yojana, the CM added.