NGO reminds PM of 5 ‘Ts’ promised by him for holy city

Neeraj Bagga

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, December 3

Amritsar Vikas Manch, an NGO, today reminded Prime Minister Narendra Modi of the five ‘Ts’ promised by him for Amritsar at a rally held ahead of the 2014 parliamentary election in the holy city.

These five Ts were: talent, tourism, technology, trade and tradition.

Members of the AVM said tourism would flourish only if the rail, air and road connectivity to Amritsar is well established with national and international destinations.

To achieve this, the direct Amritsar-London and Amritsar-Toronto flights, that had been withdrawn, must be restored at the earliest possible.

Also, the other international airlines seeking permission to start direct international flights from Amritsar must be granted permission on a priority basis.

The Patti-Ferozepur rail link must be constructed to lessen the distance, fare and time. This rail link will lessen the distance between Amritsar and Mumbai by 240 km. This rail route will also reduce traffic on the Amritsar-Delhi route. Besides, this route will also serve as an alternative from the northern states to western India.

The previous governments at the Centre granted special tax concessions to the industry in Himachal Pradesh and other hilly states. Due to these tax benefits, most of the industry shifted to the neighbouring states, causing huge losses to employment and revenue. Similar tax benefits must be granted to Punjab so that the local industry can resurface, the Manch demanded.

The NGO thanked the government for sanctioning funds under the heritage status to the city, establishment of an Indian Institute of Management (IIM), Post Graduate Institute of Horticulture Research and Education (PGIHRE) and a Centre for Software Technology Park of India here.

However, delay in the construction of the IIM building caused inconvenience to the students as their classes have already started.

The situation for the PGIHRE is grim. Nothing concrete has been done for the construction of its building and its functioning. Therefore, members of the AVM requested the Prime Minister and his ministerial colleagues to take personal interest in the construction of the building of both these Central institutions here.

The holy city is also lagging behind in the establishment of information and technology institutions which is very important for the development of the area.

A building for television and radio broadcasting centre has been constructed and a 984 feet high tower has been installed at the border village of Gharinda. Its 20 KW transmitter would serve in a 80 mile radius, including Lahore, Shekhupura, Gujjranwala and Sialkot districts of Pakistan apart from this region of India.

This radio and television broadcasting centre was conceived to check anti-India propaganda by Pakistan in the border areas of the country. The NGO requested the visiting Prime Minister to take personal interest for the commissioning of this centre.

A society of SAARC countries had decided to establish a hospital in Amritsar. However, there has been no movement towards this.