Residents of 'CM City' await major announcements

Residents of Karnal, which held the 'CM City' tag for a decade during Manohar Lal Khattar’s tenure, and CM Nayab Singh Saini’s first tenure of nearly six months, are awaiting the announcement of a major project for the district.

While some residents welcomed the government’s efforts, such as the laying of foundation stone for Maharana Pratap Horticulture University’s main campus, they said the project was announced during Khattar’s tenure. PM Narendra Modi had laid the foundation stone for the university — to be constructed on 65 acres at a cost of Rs 420 crore — from Panipat on December 9.

CM Saini has also inaugurated development works worth Rs 11.33 crore, including sub-health centres, a swimming pool, and a 33 KV substation at Indri. Additionally, Union minister Khattar recently inaugurated three major projects under the Smart City initiative. However, the residents feel these measures fall short of the promised transformative changes.

“The city had a special status during Khattar’s time, but now it seems like Karnal is no longer a priority. We expected new industrial projects, job opportunities, and infrastructure upgrade, but there is little to show,” said Rajiv Kumar, a social activist.

Vikrant Kumar, another resident, echoed similar concerns. “For a decade, Karnal was a focal point, now its importance seems to be diminishing,” he said.

Some defended the government’s efforts. “The horticulture university foundation stone has been laid, and we are hopeful that Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyay University of Health Sciences will become operational soon,” said Deepak Kumar, a resident.

Opposition leaders, however, criticised the government. “The government lacks vision for Karnal. The horticulture university is an old announcement, and employee transfers are being used with malafide intentions,” claimed Shamsher Singh Gogi, former Congress MLA from Assandh.

Former Congress MLA Sumita Singh also claimed that there was no road map for job creation or industrial growth and Karnal was losing its importance under this regime.

However, Assembly Speaker Harvinder Kalyan said, “Being a Speaker, I need to focus on the legislative works, but as an MLA, the development of my constituency would be among my top priorities. Apart from preparing the development plan for five years in my area, I am presently focusing on the completion of major ongoing projects, including the medical university, NCC academy and a ring road,” he said.

Karnal MLA Jagmohan Anand highlighted the recent achievements. “Karnal is being developed under the leadership of Khattar and Saini. The work on elevated flyovers has been started, and Khattar dedicated three major projects to the city recently. The NDRI has been opened to people for morning and evening walks, which was a long-standing demand,” he said, adding that the gur mandi would be shifted to a new grain market.