Seechewal meets Union Minister on Sultanpur Lodhi’s development

Rajya Sabha Member and renowned environmentalist Sant Balbir Singh Seechewal met with Union Minister for Housing, Urban Affairs, and Power, Shri Manohar Lal Khattar, today to discuss the comprehensive development of Sultanpur Lodhi, a city of significant historical and spiritual importance.

The meeting, held at Haryana Niwas in Chandigarh, lasted for over half an hour and included in-depth discussions on various pending and upcoming development initiatives for the city. Present at the meeting were Punjab’s Minister for Local Government, Dr. Inderbir Singh Nijjar, Principal Secretary Tejbir Singh, IAS officer Deepti Uppal, and the meeting coordinator, Dr. Prabhleen Singh.

Sultanpur Lodhi was declared a Smart City by the central government in 2019. However, development activities were delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and 2021. Minister Khattar confirmed that the validity of the Smart City Mission has now been extended until March 31, 2025, allowing for the resumption and completion of planned initiatives.

Reflecting on his previous visit to Sultanpur Lodhi and Seechewal, Khattar recalled that during his tenure as Chief Minister of Haryana, his visit aimed to draw inspiration from Seechewal’s work on river restoration, especially his efforts to rejuvenate the sacred Kali Bein stream. This, he noted, had influenced Haryana’s own project to revive the Saraswati River.

Addressing infrastructural concerns, the Union Minister assured that pending work, would be completed under existing central government schemes with interdepartmental coordination.