Punjab makes strategy to ensure optimal utlisation of its PWD properties- Harbhajan Singh ETO

Departmental committees to access and report current status of properties in other states

Guest houses at tourists centers to be renovated to attract tourists

Chandigarh, August 1

          Punjab Public Works Minister Harbhajan Singh ETO on Tuesday said that the Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann led Punjab Government has chalked out a strategy to make optimal utilization of the properties of Public Works Department to increase revenue from such properties besides building and renovating guest houses especially at tourist places, developing green patches in rural areas, and constructing official residences for the employees of the department.

          Chairing a departmental meeting here, the PWD Minister said that PWD has a number of properties in Dehradun, Haridwar, Vrindavan, Delhi and many other places outside Punjab. He asked to form departmental committees to review and report the current status of department’s properties in other states.

          Reviewing the status of PWD properties located within the state, Harbhajan Singh ETO asked the department officials to make a holistic plan to utilise all the vacant or underutilized properties in the public interest. He said that special attention should be given on constructing new or renovating existing PWD guest houses in the districts like Amritsar, Pathankot and Rupnagar etc to attract tourists. He also gave directions that if any government employee or official was staying in a PWD guest house without paying charges, rent will be claimed from the concerned department.

          Adding further, the PWD minister said that the vacant lands of the department in various cities should be utilized to develop official residences for the employees and officials of the department as per requirement.  “Various chunks of PWD lands in the rural areas can be utilized to develop green patches to protect environment. The cultivable lands can be used to develop horticultural nurseries”, said Harbhajan Singh ETO while adding that the transparent bidding system should be ensured to get reasonable revenue from agricultural lands of the department.

          Reiterating Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann led Punjab Government’s commitment to make ‘Rangla Punjab, Harbhajan Singh ETO said that PWD would not leave any stone unturned to make significant contribution in this mission.