Punjab has received a significant financial boost for strengthening urban infrastructure under the Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT and AMRUT 2.0), with projects worth over ₹6,000 crore approved across the state. The details have emerged from information obtained under the Right to Information (RTI) Act by activist Kamal Anand.
Under the original AMRUT mission, Punjab grounded 163 projects at a total cost of ₹2,761.02 crore. These included 58 water supply projects worth ₹1,242.28 crore, 62 sewerage and septage management projects costing ₹1,504.65 crore, and 43 projects related to parks and green spaces involving ₹14.09 crore. Against a committed Central assistance of ₹1,204.47 crore, the Centre released ₹1,190.77 crore to the state.
Under AMRUT 2.0, the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) has approved 214 projects worth ₹3,626.38 crore for Punjab since October 1, 2021. Water supply remains the primary focus, with 152 projects involving an outlay of ₹2,980.78 crore. In addition, 12 sewerage and septage management projects worth ₹541.86 crore have been sanctioned to strengthen sanitation services.
Environmental sustainability forms another key pillar of AMRUT 2.0. Punjab has received approval for 25 water body rejuvenation projects costing ₹65.47 crore, along with 25 parks and green spaces projects worth ₹38.27 crore. Park rejuvenation works include projects in Sangrur (₹3.62 crore), Samana (₹1.90 crore), Sunam (₹1.91 crore), Dhuri (₹16.08 crore), and Zirakpur (₹1.84 crore).
However, RTI data show that against a committed Central assistance of ₹1,836 crore under AMRUT 2.0, only ₹329.69 crore has been released so far. This has raised concerns over delays in fund disbursal and the pace of project execution.
Among major cities, Amritsar has received the highest allocation of ₹135.49 crore, followed by Ludhiana (₹88.11 crore), Bathinda (₹66.31 crore), Jalandhar city and cantonment (₹56.37 crore), and Patiala (₹23.01 crore).
Under the Smart City Mission and AMRUT 2.0, three major cities — Amritsar, Jalandhar, and Ludhiana — together received ₹4,143.31 crore for 189 completed projects. Of this, Amritsar received ₹1,799.83 crore, Jalandhar ₹1,023.16 crore, and Ludhiana ₹1,320.32 crore. An additional ₹342.35 crore has been approved for 15 ongoing projects in these cities.
Dhuri town, the Assembly constituency of Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, has received notable priority for park development. Three projects worth ₹50.58 crore have been approved, including a ₹34.50 crore water supply project and two parks and green spaces projects worth ₹16.08 crore. Neighbouring towns — Longowal, Cheema, and Bhawanigarh — have been sanctioned ₹38 lakh, ₹71 lakh, and ₹1.02 crore, respectively, for park development. Of the total ₹38.23 crore earmarked for parks and green spaces in Punjab under AMRUT 2.0, ₹16.08 crore has been allocated to Dhuri alone.
Sangrur town has received ₹57.05 crore, while Muktsar has been allotted ₹158.52 crore, including ₹106 crore for sewerage and septage management.
Several other towns have also received allocations under the mission. These include Barnala (₹84.34 crore), Dasua (₹41.51 crore), Dirba (₹23.21 crore), Faridkot (₹18.77 crore), Fazilka (₹12.97 crore), Ferozepur Cantonment (₹29.52 crore), Ferozepur (₹54.14 crore), Gidderbaha (₹10.85 crore), Gobindgarh (₹121.03 crore), Jaitu (₹10.88 crore), Jalalabad (₹38.54 crore), Kot-Isse Khan (₹3.85 crore), Kotkapura (₹10.14 crore), Malout (₹23.61 crore), Nihal Singh Wala (₹16.20 crore), Rampura Phul (₹34.43 crore), Samana (₹62.99 crore), Sunam (₹55.62 crore), Talwandi Sabo (₹1.62 crore for a park), Zira (₹30.41 crore), Zirakpur (₹3.63 crore, including ₹1.84 crore for two parks), Bhagta Bhai Ka (₹35.80 crore) and Bhucho Mandi (₹41.68 crore). These towns are among the 158 urban local bodies covered under the mission in Punjab.
Commenting on the findings, RTI activist Kamal Anand underscored the need for complete transparency in the utilisation of AMRUT funds to prevent corruption and delays.
“These funds are meant to ensure clean drinking water, improved sanitation, and better living conditions for urban residents. The government must ensure full and timely utilisation of the sanctioned amount so that Punjab can emerge as a model state in drinking water supply and cleanliness,” he said.
