Amarinder announces Rs 3,000-cr drinking water scheme for Amritsar

Amritsar, August 14 : Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh on Monday announced a slew of welfare and development schemes for Amritsar, including a Rs 3,000 crore World Bank-aided project to provide surface-water-based drinking water supply system in the city.
The surface water scheme will replace the existing groundwater-based drinking water supply scheme, thus addressing a serious concern of the region, which is facing severe depletion of groundwater and cases of vector-borne diseases.
Announcing this at a press conference here, the Chief Minister also announced several new development projects, entailing Rs 556.9 crore, for Amritsar, which is being developed as a Smart City at a Rs 200 crore investment, of which Rs 100 crore will be shared by the state government. The Chief Minister announced the establishment of a Directorate of Fire Services at state level in Amritsar, along with 50% seat reservation for women in urban local bodies (ULBs), in line with his government’s decision to make such reservation across the state. Another key decision of the government relates to provision of free homes for the homeless people and subsidised houses for the economically weaker section under the Shehri Aawas Yojana.