Cleanliness, metro train service, jobs among Bansal's poll promises for Chandigarh

Cleanliness, bringing metro service to ease traffic congestion and job creation were highlights of the manifesto released by Congress candidate Pawan Kumar Bansal for Chandigarh here.

He said the manifesto for Chandigarh aims at restoring the glory and prestige of the city.

"The Chandigarh spirit is being assailed by irregular expansion, increased traffic... inadequate parking spaces and public transportation system.

"The city suffers the ignominy of rising crime against women. We have to make it safe and create a more kind and gentle society that cares for those at risk the most," he said.

The manifesto emphasis on restoring the clean and pollution-free environment of the city, its colonies and surrounding villages, boost community parking and starting the metro service to solve the problem of traffic congestion.

"We have to ensure that Chandigarh stays 'city beautiful' and not let its unique ethos be tampered with or torn asunder. With your (people's) support, it will be my primary duty to restore the glory and prestige of Chandigarh and preserve the vibrancy, grace and dignity that makes our city truly one of its kind," Bansal said.

The Congress candidate from Chandigarh also envisioned a crime-free city with emphasis on security for women, meaningful job creation for the youth, bringing more funds from the Centre for education, health, roads, parks and other infrastructure.

He also promised to work towards making round-the-clock water supply a "reality", introduce happiness curriculum in schools and ensure that the public demand for regularizing outstanding need-based changes in residential and commercial buildings is met.

The former railway minister also said contractual and temporary employees will be regularized and a transparent transfer policy will be adopted for them.

He promised that if he gets elected to parliament, notices to traders and industrialists will be withdrawn and floor area ratio for their shops will be increased.

A "far-sighted vendor policy" would be put in place and Chandigarh will be developed as a tourism hub to give a fillip to businesses, he said.

The manifesto promised that infrastructure and facilities in villages will get a renewed focus and micro-planning will ensure that each hamlet is developed as self-sustaining modern units.

On the lines of Hauz Khas in Delhi, these villages will generate their own economic activity, including cottage industry, boutiques and street art, it stated.

Bansal also promised that once elected, he will report real time on his website and Facebook page about issues, works and projects taken up.

The former railway minister is pitted against sitting MP and BJP candidate Kirron Kher and AAP's Harmohan Dhawan in the Chandigarh Lok Sabha seat.