Punjab seeks investment in civic service operations

Hardselling Punjab as an investment destination, deputy chief minister Sukhbir Singh Badal today said private sector will be allowed to manage civic services in 146 urban and local bodies.
Addressing a host of investors and members of trade and industry at the 'Invest North' conclave, state deputy chief minister Sukhbir Singh Badal said investors would be given the opportunity of building, operating and maintaining these services for a fixed tenure of five to ten years under the "Design, Build, Operate" policy.
"We want all these towns to have all basic facilities like quality water, roads, sewerage and lighting within a span of one year", Badal said, adding this project would be completed at a cost of Rs 4,000 crore.

Asserting that the process of outsourcing municipal services had already started, the Deputy CM said Shapoorji Pallonji had been given charge of municipal services in Bathinda, while Trivani Industries had been given the charge of a part of Amritsar.
Badal claimed the right atmosphere for investment was created by the state, which now offered the cheapest power anywhere in the country besides creating ease of doing business environment.
"We now have a power generating capacity of 12,000 mw and are in a position to sell excess power", he said, adding that the State power utility, which was in the red earlier, had turned around and was adjudged the 'best' in the country.

The Deputy CM also announced that a number of steps had been taken to ensure industry did not face any harassment. "We have decided that no Inspector will be allowed to enter any factory premises", he said.
He also detailed how the process of clearances for setting up shop in Punjab had been made completely hassle free. He said presently it took a little more than one month to get all necessary clearances to set up a unit in Punjab.
A state government statement claimed that Union Commerce and Industry Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has appreciated efforts of Punjab in doing away with age-old legislations and undertaking unique initiatives for investment projects.