A special grant of ₹100 crore and the establishment of a “Sanjha Bazaar” were announced for Panchkula by Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar during his budget speech on Friday.

With this grant, development activities can be carried out in Panchkula until a permanent source of revenue is available. The “Sanjha Bazaar” has been started on a pilot basis in five districts, including Karnal, Yamunanagar, Panchkula, Fatehabad and Gurugram. It is aimed at providing shops or portable cabins to women self-help groups to display and sell their products as a secure source of livelihood.

The CM also made a special mention regarding the establishment of Panchkula Metropolitan Development Authority. He said the Panchkula Metropolitan Development Authority had recently started functioning and had been entrusted with the swift execution of the district’s integrated development plan.

Khattar said from mid-March, air-conditioned electric bus services, through Haryana City Bus Service Corporation Limited, will start in Panchkula. The CM also proposed construction of speed-climbing facilities in the city. Speed climbing is one of the new events included in the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Special mention was made about the new Government Industrial Training Institute opened at Kanauli in Panchkula. Admissions to this institution had started last year. The CM also mentioned about opening of six new ITIs in the state.

Haryana assembly speaker and Panchkula MLA Gian Chand Gupta said these announcements of the chief minister will further accelerate the pace of development in Panchkula.

No new tax in upcoming MC budget

In a relief for residents, Panchkula mayor Kulbhushan Goyal said no new taxes had been proposed in the upcoming municipal corporation budget session.

MC has proposed to present a budget of ₹250 crore on February 29 in the General House meeting, which is being convened after five months. The meeting will be held at the PWD guest house in Sector 1.

While interacting with media on Friday, the mayor said, “The civic body has managed to generate revenue without burdening the residents with any new tax. In 2021, MC had a budget of ₹119 crore, which is now up to ₹250 crore.”