Increased grant to fund city’s infra, growth, Chandigarh tells panel

Tribune News Service

Dushyant Singh Pundir

Chandigarh, March 29

Citing development, the UT Administration has sought to justify an increase in Budget allocation after the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Home Affairs asked for reasons for the hike.

An amount of Rs 5,436.10 crore has been allocated to UT in Budget Estimates for 2023-24, as against Rs 4,846.79 crore in Budget Estimates for 2022-23.

In response to the query raised by the committee in its report on demands for grants (2023-24) tabled in the Lok Sabha recently about the reasons for the increase in the Budget allocation, the UT Administration replied the increase would facilitate improvement of infrastructure in the sectors of education, policing, health, urban development, public transport in the city, besides development works of the municipal corporation and Smart City projects.

The grant would go into construction of buildings and structures, creation of infrastructural assets, purchase of furniture and fixtures, other fixed assets and acquisition of land and implementation of 24x7 water supply project, stated the administration adding it would also help meet committed liabilities such as salary, wages, grants-in-aid (salaries), fuels and lubricants, etc. In a response to another query by the committee, the administration stated the UT had incurred Rs 15.86 crore under the “road and transport” sub-head up to December 31, 2022, against the total allocation of Rs 34.79 crore in Revised Estimates for 2022-23.

The administration has already submitted a list of 16 development works to be carried out in financial year 2023-24 to the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA).

The major projects include construction of two vertical green corridors, two police stations and five new government schools this year.

Keeping in view rising strength of students, the administration has decided to construct five government schools at Sarangpur, Hallo Majra, Maloya, Karsan and Mani Majra at a cost of around Rs 45 crore.

To promote cycling and walking, the UT will construct two vertical green corridors in the coming financial year. There is a provision of 11 longitudinal green corridors for non-motorised transport (NMT) in the Chandigarh Master Plan-2031. The master plan strives for promoting use of bicycle as a preferred mode of transport. The use of bicycle is a healthier mode of transport for shorter distances and reduces carbon emissions by shunning use of car.

In the first phase, corridor No. 1 (along Patiala ki Rao) from Khuda Ali Sher-Rajendra Park, Sector 2, to Buterla-Badheri villages, with an approximate length of 9 km, and corridor No. 5 (along N-Choe) from Khuda Ali Sher to Garden of Springs in Sector 53, spanning 8 km, will be constructed.

The other projects included construction of two new police station buildings at Mauli Jagran and IT Park, police recruitment training centre at Sarangpur, 144 houses for police personnel at Dhanas, effluent treatment plants at government hospitals in Sectors 22, 48 and 45, Mani Majra and Sector 16, a Mother and Child Care Centre at the Sector 48 hospital and a hostel block in Government Medical College and Hospital, and construction of 22 km of new cycle tracks.

Allocated Rs 5,436.10 cr for next fiscal

• UT has been allocated Rs 5,436.10 cr in Budget Estimates for 2023-24, against Rs 4,846.79 cr given in Budget Estimates for 2022-23
• On query by panel over hike in allocation, UT says it will improve infra in education, policing, health, urban development, public transport sectors
• Administration has already submitted a list of 16 development works to be carried out in financial year 2023-24 to the Ministry of Home Affairs

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