Rs 1,200 cr for development of Karnal: Khattar

Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar said today that a sum of Rs 1,200 crore will be spent on the development of Karnal city, which has been selected by the Union government under the smart city project.
Khattar said all entry routes to Karnal were being four- laned for up to 10 kilometres, and 'welcome gates' named after renowned persons, were being erected there.
Welcome gates named after Guru Nanak Dev - the founder of Sikhism - would be built at Chirawa Mor, Pt. Deen Dayal Upadhyaya gate at Meerut road, Shrimad Bhagwad Gita gate on Ambala side of the Grand Trunk Road, Saraswati gate at Kunjpura road, Swami Vivekananda gate at Kachhwa road and Kalpana Chawla gate on Munak road.

A proposal is being considered to open a Central Institute of Plastics Engineering & Technology (CIPET) institute in Karnal and a communication has been sent to the Union Ministry of Industries in this connection, he said.
He said that work would soon start on phase-II of the Mughal canal and about Rs 1,100 crore would be spent on it.
Khattar while replying to a question said when any case related to corruption came to his knowledge, it was investigated promptly. If facts are found to be right, the state government takes action against those involved in corrupt practices, he said.

The chief minister said there was shortage of doctors in the state and 550 doctors had been recruited recently.

Khattar said the state government has issued directions to install devices at brick-kilns to check air pollution.
The Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare Department is spreading awareness among farmers about the damage caused by burning of crop residue. It is also giving modern agricultural equipment at subsidised rates for management of crop residue, said Khattar.
Asked about reducing the prices of diesel and petrol in the state, he said the Value Added Tax (VAT) on petroleum products in Haryana was less compared to other states. If needed, the government would consider to slash the prices further, he added.