Punjab CM launches UEIP phase-II to give fillip to state's urban infrastructure development

Punjab UEIP Phase 2: Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh on Saturday virtually laid the foundation stones of projects worth Rs 700 crore, to kickstart Phase-II of the Rs 11000 core Urban Environment Improvement Programme (UEIP), with the announcement of a one-time settlement (OTS) scheme for pending VAT assessments to promote economic activity in urban areas.

Captain Amarinder Singh, while launching Punjab UEIP Phase 2, said that the Department of Excise and Taxation will soon notify the scheme, which his government had decided to initiate in view of the concern of businesses that issues related to their VAT assessments and grievances were not been redressed speedily.

Noting that cities are also centres of economic activity, with focus on trade and industry, he further said he had asked the Industries and Taxation Departments to work out a more user-friendly system to ensure that businesses, industry and traders do not have to go from one office to another.

Captain Amarinder Singh also underlined the need to ensure cleanliness of towns, urging all cities to segregate domestic solid waste. He appreciated Nawanshahr for its consistent good performance in the Cleanliness Surveys of the Government of India.

Expressing the confidence that the UEIP schemes, of which Rs 3000 crore worth had been completed in the first Phase, would help the state make significant improvement in the infrastructure of the cities and lives of its urban people, the Chief Minister said the programme would enable the development of state-of-art urban infrastructure and efficient service delivery systems to the urban population of Punjab, thus making urbanisation impactful.

Connected digitally to over 45000 people at 940 locations, the Chief Minister pointed out that the state government had succeeded in securing finances for these projects, amid Covid-19, despite the acute financial crunch.

-PTC News