Punjab plans metro rail in key cities

Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal today said the state government would sign a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) tomorrow for exploring the viability of launching metro rail projects in Amritsar and Ludhiana.

"The chairman of the DMRC will come to Chandigarh tomorrow to sign the MoU to assess the viability of metro rail projects in Amritsar and Ludhiana and after getting it's report the project will be initiated," Badal told reporters here today.

Badal reiterated that Punjab would be made a power-surplus state in the years to come. A meeting was held in Delhi today to initiate a power purchase agreement with a private company, which was installing a power plant at Kandla Port in Gujarat.

"Power Secretary and the chairman of the state electricity board (PSEB) has visited the site at Kandla and if finalised, the state will get 2,000 Mw from the power generation plant of Kandla after three years," he added.

He said formalities for initiating work on the proposed international airport at Mohali was in the final stage and the state government would also take up its demand of setting up an international airport at Ludhiana also.

Chief Minister further said the state government had planned to set up an Aviation University in the state.

"An advertisement in this regard has been published and some of the foreign companies have shown keen interest," he added.