Photo Source; Babushahi Bureau
Rs 26-crore Kapurthala water project halted, Rana Gurjeet Singh alleges political interference
Babushahi Bureau
Kapurthala (Punjab), December 22, 2025:Congress MLA from Kapurthala and former Punjab Cabinet Minister Rana Gurjeet Singh on Monday claimed that the work on the ₹26-crore potable water supply project in the town was abruptly halted, a move he termed highly condemnable.
He alleged that the stoppage of work was carried out at the behest of leaders of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and urged the state government and local civic authorities to resume the project immediately in the larger public interest.
Rana Gurjeet Singh said that the project work had gained momentum and was inspected by him just a week ago.
“The digging work for laying water pipelines was going on at full pace when it was stopped the very next day, on Sunday, December 21, allegedly at the behest of AAP leaders. This is unacceptable. Residents should not be made to suffer due to political bias,” he claimed.
Emphasising the principle of continuity in governance, the Congress leader stated that development projects sanctioned by previous governments should not be stalled.
“Governments function in continuity. The government belongs to the people, and public interest must always remain the top priority,” he asserted.
Rana Gurjeet Singh said that the ₹26-crore potable water project was sanctioned during the Congress government in Punjab between 2017 and 2022 under the Government of India’s AMRUT-II (Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation) scheme, which aims to provide 100 per cent coverage of safe and adequate drinking water to urban households while strengthening water infrastructure.
He claimed that he had taken up the matter with the Government of India when the earlier AMRUT-I scheme was nearing completion, and considering the urgent requirement and deteriorating water supply infrastructure in Kapurthala, the project was approved under AMRUT-II.
According to the MLA, the project became necessary due to the poor condition of existing pipelines, many of which had allegedly become corroded over time. He said residents in several localities had frequently complained of drinking water getting mixed with sewage, posing serious health risks.
As per the project plan, a 95-kilometre-long potable water pipeline network was to be laid across Kapurthala town using six-inch GI cement-coated, rust-proof pipes. Water supply was to be ensured through tubewells, while four-inch pipelines were to be used for household connections. The project was scheduled to be completed within two years and aimed to cover 100 per cent of the town’s population, he claimed.