Cabinet Minister Lal Chand Kataruchak who surprised political observers by helping AAP bag 10 seats in the BJP stronghold of Pathankot in the recent elections to the municipal corporation (MC) has brought in a whopping Rs 200 crore to construct new and widen old link roads in his assembly seat of Bhoa.
The Bhoa Vidhan Sabha seat is in Pathankot district. He is an ex-officio member of the Pathankot MC as some areas of his seat fall in the jurisdiction of the civic body.
Kataruchak’s initiative of bringing in grants to the tune of Rs 62 crore to build three bridges across important rivulets is helping in improving village connectivity and facilitating movement for commuters. One of these overbridges is on the Jalali ‘Nullah’, which is a seasonal rivulet and is significant for the agrarian and ecological landscape of the area. It runs through the rural and suburban belts of the assembly seat. The bridge was a long-standing demand of residents.
The minister has now increased his frequency of touring his assembly seat keeping in view the assembly polls slated to be held after a few months.
“In the past, the lack of robust road connectivity and the region’s distance from major commercial hubs had hindered the overall development of Bhoa. However, with new bridges being built and new roads being constructed, people from outside the state are considering establishing industrial units here. Earlier, there was talk of the nearby lake of the Ranjit Sagar dam being converted into a tourism hub. However, the project failed to take off and now industrialists are eyeing Bhoa due to its recent development,” said a businessman.
Kataruchak said, “Earlier, the absence of diverse economic activity limited job creation and pushed locals toward unemployment or underemployment. This is no longer true as the area has seen numerous developmental projects which are changing the area’s landscape. Thirty new playgrounds have also been established in accordance with the state government’s policy of keeping youth away from the scourge of drugs.”
Observers claim these projects have come as a boon to local residents who had to shift to nearby cities citing lack of employment opportunities. A sum of Rs 1.75 crore has also been spent on setting up nature parks.
