Punjab Health and Family Welfare Minister Dr Balbir Singh announced that the state government was executing a comprehensive plan to provide permanent flood relief to Patiala. The initiative focuses on strengthening the embankments of the Badi Nadi drain and significantly increasing its water-carrying capacity, he said.
Presiding over a review meeting with Patiala Deputy Commissioner Dr Himanshu Agarwal and other district officials, the minister said, “The drains embankments from Daulatpur to Dakala Road will be reinforced. Additionally, a 4-km stretch from Dakala Road to the Ghaggar river will be desilted and deepened to ensure smooth water flow.”
In a major environmental push, Dr Balbir Singh revealed plans to plant 6.5 lakh saplings across the Patiala district to mark the 650th birth anniversary of Guru Ravidass. “The Forest Department has already been directed to plant a significant portion of these saplings along the newly strengthened embankments. Furthermore, treated water from two sewage treatment plants near Daulatpur and Sunny Enclave will be repurposed for local irrigation,” the minister said.
Addressing public grievances, the minister issued strict directives on the civic issues. Officials from the Municipal Corporation and the sewerage board were ordered to repair damaged roads near DLF Colony in the Tripuri area within a week.
The minister noted that while regional bitumen shortages stemming from the Iran-Israel conflict had caused initial delays, work on 10 major roads in the Patiala rural constituency would be completed in the coming days.
The minister also reviewed the status of road repairs currently underway following water pipeline installations by Larsen & Toubro.
The minister ordered immediate cleanup of a village pond in Hiana Kalan following reports of dead fish, alongside directing the renovation of ponds in Barn, Ghamroda and Mandaur villages.
Officials were told to expedite the allotment of five-marla plots to needy families across 42 villages and accelerate the process of granting ownership rights within “Lal Dora” limits.
