Use Smart City funds: Council

Our Correspondent

Ludhiana, April 6

The Council of Engineers (CoE) has made a plea to the state government to make provision for use of funds earmarked/allocated for Smart City Mission projects to fight Covid-19, adding that sufficient funds are available with special purpose vehicles (SPVs) set up for execution of these projects in major cities of Ludhiana, Jalandhar and Amritsar.

In a communication to the state government with copies to the Deputy Commissioner, CoE president Kapil Arora said a ration/nutrition kit for family of six (for a period of 15 days) costs approximately Rs 1,000 and taking in account the need of some 50,000 poor and needy families in one city, the total cost would be around Rs 5 crore only. Even if the number of families was less, adequate funds could be made available for feeding the hungry during lockdown so that those in distress could be taken well care of.

Similarly, he said the cost of one PPE (personal protection equipment) kit was around Rs 1000 as per market data and if 20,000 such kits were purchased for safety cabins/isolation wards in the hospitals, it would incur an expenditure of just about Rs 2 crore which would be money well spent in view of the safety of the medical and para-medical staff tending to Corona-afflicted patients.

The CoE chief said the Smart City projects were crucial for the city but safety and welfare of the city residents must get precedence in a situation of life or death.