Yamunanagar, which has one of the highest number of gram panchayats (469) in Haryana and about 20% of the population living below poverty line, is striving for infrastructure development to sustain industrial growth.
Though, the state government has laid out plans for social as well as economic upliftment of the region, it still has a long way to go.
Though, some development can be seen with a thermal power plant up and running in its vicinity, other projects like improving the conditions of highways, a turmeric processing plant, solid waste management plant and small hydro power projects are also in the pipeline.
Apprising FE about the current scenario, Amit Kumar Aggarwal, deputy commissioner Yamunanagar said that in about 60 villages, 50% of the total population belongs to the SC category and separate funds to the tune of Rs 17 crore have been sanctioned for their betterment.
?Under the integrated housing and slum development project, about 800 downtrodden families have been identified. Every family is given Rs 80,000 for construction of new houses. The total sanitation project has also fructified and the overall living conditions are improving,? said Aggarwal.
On the road infrastructure front, the state public works department (buildings and roads) is planning to complete projects worth Rs 3,000 crore under the Rajiv Gandhi Bridges and Roads Infrastructure Development Programme by March 2010. Under the programme, improvement of Gurgaon-Faridabad road, Chandimandir-Jallah road and Yamunanagar-Ladwa-Karnal road has been approved on Built Operate and Transfer (BOT) basis.
?But the roads leading to the stone quarries are damaged very frequently so a continuous maintenance is required for these roads to handle the load,? Aggarwal said.
Yamunanagar has started contributing power to the state pool with the commissioning of two units of 300 mw each of Deenbandhu Chotu Ram Thermal Power Plant in April and June last year. Reliance Infrastructure as the EPC contractor for the project in close coordination with Haryana Power Generation Corporation Ltd has executed the plant.
A senior official of Haryana power department told FE, ?The plant is running smoothly and achieving the desired results. It is spread over 1,138 acre. The total cost incurred towards its construction is Rs 2,400 crore. Rinfra as an EPC contractor quoted Rs 2,097 crore for its construction, which was the lowest ever in the country.?
An official from Reliance Infrastructure said, ?The units are running at more than 100% PLF (plant load factor) and have generated 2,400 million units of power so far, which added to the power stock of Haryana. The performance guarantee test of major equipments is complete and the provisional takeover of the project will be carried by HPGCL within this month. The final takeover will be done by March-end. We have also undertaken a few activities for local people like providing ITI Training for village youth and their employment at project site during construction, constructing primary school for labourers, organising health check camps for local villagers, installation of street lights in village Ratanpura, Isharpur and Lapra.?
Farmers are shifting to crop like turmeric as Haryana State Cooperative Supply and Marketing Federation (Hafed) is coming up with a post-harvest management and primary turmeric processing plant at Radaur in Yamunanagar district. The plant, which will be the first of its kind in the state, will have a capacity to process 14 tonne of turmeric per day and will catalyse an investment of Rs 1.75 crore. Hafed has applied for subsidy on total cost under the National Horticulture Mission.
A senior official of Hafed told FE, ?This unit is expected to revive the crop and bring about 1,000 hectare under cultivation over a period of time. Hafed will help the farmers by procuring the crop and sell the processed products under its own brands. Through the plant, turmeric cultivation is likely to get a boost in the state.?
Meanwhile, Haryana Renewable Energy Development Authority has allotted a 6-mw small hydro project at Dadupur district Yamunanagar to Bhoruka Power Corporation from Bangalore. Small hydropower projects also include 1 each at Khajuri and Ahmadalpur in Yamunanagar district for 2 mw on augmentation canal and for 4.5 to 7.5 mw on main line lower canal, respectively.
?The ailing metal and utensil industries of Jagadhari will get a thrust with the new Industrial Model Township being developed by HSIIDC over 800 acre. The state government is also making efforts to revive the same,? Aggarwal said. With the entire district covered by 100% financial inclusion by banks, the citizens will surely reap the benefits of modern age banking.