Chandigarh: The Punjab Cabinet on Monday approved major decisions related to river cleaning and housing projects in the state. The meeting, chaired by Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, cleared the proposal for desilting rivers to remove silt accumulated during floods.
Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema and Water Resources Minister Barinder Goyal said the river cleaning would be carried out through an open bidding process, with the tender period reduced from 21 days to 14 days. Goyal added that 85 sites have been identified for the operation, including 28 in the Beas river. The state government will seek permission from the Centre for cleaning the Beas. Around 190 crore cubic feet of sand is expected to be extracted, which could generate revenue of about ₹840 crore for the government.
The Cabinet also approved amendments to the e-auction policy related to housing projects. The reserve price of properties that remained unsold due to high pricing will be re-evaluated with the assistance of three independent agencies.
In another key decision, mega housing projects will now be granted only one extension within five years, ending the practice of repeated extensions. Additionally, a new cooperative group housing scheme has been launched under the cooperative sector.
