Fuel cost cut hailed, traffic mess end sought

eraj Bagga

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, February 18

The Budgetary announcements regarding reduction of fuel prices and infrastructural development among others have been hailed by city residents. Petrol prices will be reduced by Rs 5 and diesel by Re 1 per liter. Besides, the allocation of Rs 1,513 crore for subsidised power to industries has made the traders elated.

Punjab Pradesh Beopar Mandal (PPBM) president Piara Lal Seth, while welcoming the announcements, hoped that these would lift the “sagging” morale of industrialists. He recalled that about 20 days ago a delegation of the PPBM had met Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh and placed several demands. The industrialists sought allocation to be increased to Rs 2,500 crore for the industry from Rs 189 crore of the previous fiscal.

He felt that the high petrol rate (Rs 76.57 per litre) would come down to Rs 71.50 which would give relief to peolple.

A businessman, Sameer Jain, expressed concern over no allocation of funds for industries in the border districts by Finance Minister Manpreet Singh Badal. He felt that such announcement would have attracted industrialists thus creating job opportunities for locals. He said employment would help youth keep themselves at bay from drugs.

Industrialist Kamal Dalmia said the health sector was given attention in the Budget with the allocation of Rs 978.12 crore for the National Health Mission and Rs 189.15 crore for upgrade of medical colleges in Patiala and Amritsar.

He appealed to the state government to also include ESI hospitals for the allocation of funds as industrial employees avail medical facilities there.

BJP senior leader Rajinder Mohan Singh Chhina hit out at the ruling Congress for bringing a “directionless Budget in which every sector has been ignored.”

He said the agriculture, which was witnessing the worst ever distress amid suicides, had been entirely ignored. He added that the tax cut on fuel was a decision taken very late. He slammed the government over “unfulfilled” promises that the Congress made before the Assembly elections. 

Tarvinder Singh Chahal, Director, Institute of Development and Planning, while hailing the fuel rate reduction, said the provision for 37 per cent increase in rural  development funds to Rs 1084.54 crore, Rs 62.13 crore for setting up of a milk plant, Rs 20  crore for dairy development and Rs 50 crore for fish farming would help the subsidiary enterprises.

“It will also boost agricultural diversification. Lack of provision for full loan waiver, depleting water table, increasing environment pollution  and stubble burning in the state are worrisome which need immediate attention of the government,” he added.

Bottlenecks a major issue

Meanwhile, residents want special focus on removal of traffic bottlenecks. The fast-paced urbanisation of the holy city requires apt handling of its infrastructural expansion.

Urban planning expert Mandeep Singh hailed the mention of new projects for the city in the Budget, presented by Punjab Finance Minister Manpreet Singh Badal. He hoped that work on such projects would start without delay.

Drawing attention to the traffic mess, he said project after project failed to address the issue which had been growing with time.

He said no infrastructural planning and implementation could be carried out in isolation. He demanded transformation of the Amritsar Development Authority (ADA) into a more proactive agency.

Amritsar Vikas Manch president Kulwant Singh Ankhi said city residents were upbeat and expected new projects to resolve the traffic mess as the government proposes to develop the city into an iconic one.

Allocation of Rs 296 crore for development of Ludhiana, Amritsar and Jalandhar under the Smart City project, Rs 100 crore for development of seven border districts and Kandi area and Rs 700 crore under the Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) scheme mean a sound investment in the city.