- विज्ञापन -
Chandigarh: Just before the results of the bye-elections for four assembly seats in Punjab, the Aam Aadmi Party is looking to put its operations back on track by appointing a new face as its party president. Improving Punjab’s financial situation is the biggest challenge facing Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann.
After the results of the bye-elections, the Mann government is set to take a significant step in this direction. To improve the financial situation of the state, the Punjab government is now planning to increase the electricity duty for the industrial sector.
This decision is expected to generate an additional revenue of around ₹800 to ₹900 crores for the government. Although a three percent increase in the electricity duty for industries was announced, the AAP government, which came to power in 2022, has not yet raised the electricity rates for the industrial sector. It is reported that the finance department has prepared a proposal on this matter, which will be presented at the cabinet meeting following the bye-elections.
The Punjab government is going to create an Eco-Sensitive Zone (ESZ) extending up to three kilometers around the Sukhna Wildlife Sanctuary. The Punjab Forest and Wildlife Department has proposed to increase the ESZ radius from 100 meters to three kilometers, and this proposal has been sent to the cabinet meeting for approval. If the Punjab government approves this proposal, any construction of buildings, commercial activities, or any projects in this area will require government approval before proceeding.
In fact, Punjab had sent a proposal to the Ministry of Environment for the approval to create an ESZ only up to 100 meters around Sukhna, but the ministry rejected it. It is noteworthy that the Supreme Court mandated in 2022 that the ESZ must be at least one kilometer in radius. With the application of the ESZ up to three kilometers around the Sukhna Wildlife Sanctuary, areas such as Nayagaon, Kansal, Korora, Nada, and a part of New Chandigarh will fall within this zone. Many residential projects in these areas may be at risk. There will be a complete ban on the construction of high-rise buildings, which will affect approximately 100,000 to 150,000 people in the area.
In the cabinet meeting, the government may introduce another new change. While this change could disadvantage millions of needy people looking to purchase homes under the EWS category, it will benefit private real estate owners. The government will now auction land that has been reserved for the EWS category in private projects. Private real estate owners will be able to repurchase this land reserved for the EWS category from the government. It is being reported that this decision by the government will directly affect more than 40 large projects in the state where land had been reserved for the EWS category. Most of these large projects are located in Mohali, Ludhiana, and Jalandhar.
