Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann met Union Housing and Development Minister Hardeep Singh Puri in New Delhi on Friday. The Chief minister demanded Mohali to be made smart city. He added that most departments of their state have their head offices in Mohali.
Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann proposed Mohali to be included in the smart city project. He asserted that the city is witnessing rapid growth and development with the opening of Shaheed Bhagat Singh International airport and the presence of various national level institutions, educational institutes and industries. CM Mann underlined that Mohali needed special funding to support planned growth and infrastructural development. He told the central minister that Mohali is a part of the tricity namely, Chandigarh, Mohali and Panchkula and that it holds great significance.
He took up another issue with the central government and requested for the restoration of same ratio of funds under Amrut 2.0 as was in earlier Amrut 1. He elaborated that under Amrut 1.0, Centre and the state share was 50:50 for towns in one lakh to ten lakh population category, whereas under Amrit 2.0, the Centre and the state share had been revised to 33:67 for towns under the above mentioned population category. He added that for million plus cities like Amritsar and Ludhiana, the ratio was 33:67 and under Amrut 2.0, it is 75:25.
Following the meeting, Union Minister Hardeep singh Puri said that he explained to Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann that 100 smart cities were selected through a two step competitive process. States were free to develop more cities following this model of growth. On March 2 Punjab BJP vice president Balbir Singh Sidhu had asked Puri to declare Mohali as a smart city.