The Punjab Cabinet on Wednesday approved a $285.71 million project for canal-based water supply for Amritsar and Ludhiana cities under World Bank financing.
“The International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) would finance $200 million (70%) and Punjab government $85.71 million (30%) as per the proposal mooted by the local government department,” said an official statement, adding that the decision to this effect was taken in the Cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Amarinder Singh held through videoconferencing.
The project components include strengthening urban water supply service management with a total cost of $11.61 million, improving water supply infrastructure at $240.38 million, besides land acquisition and rehabilitation at a cost of $15.62 million, COVID crisis response to the tune of $10 million and project management at $7.6 million, it added.
The Punjab government had, in June 2018, through the Government of India’s Department of Economic Affairs (DEA), requested the World Bank to support Punjab for implementing 24X7 canal-based water supply projects in Amritsar and Ludhiana.
Land pooling policy
The statement said to make the land pooling policy more attractive for those giving up their property voluntarily for development projects, the government has decided to give additional land as compensation to such persons, while coming out with a similar new policy for the industrial sector.
