Bathinda, May 11, 2019 - Union food processing industries minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal today urged the people to reelect her to thwart the dismantling of the iconic chimneys of the Sri Guru Nanak Dev thermal plant even as she demanded that the entire site of the thermal plant be greened to make it the lungs of the city besides being used for tourism and recreational purposes.
In a statement here, Mrs Harsimrat Badal said she had exposed finance minister Manpreet Badal’s conspiracy to demolish the four iconic chimneys of the thermal plant besides selling and commercially exploiting around one thousand acres of land belonging to the thermal plant. “I had asked the FM to answer if this was true or not and he did not give any answer which itself explains his intention to sell off the precious land of the thermal plant”.
Stating that she would oppose the twin proposals to dismantle the chimneys as well as sell off land belonging to the thermal plant, Mrs Badal said “I will try to create a people movement against this proposal and also seek central intervention to ensure the land is used for people’s causes. She said greening the area and building large public parks would make the thermal plant site the lungs of the city. “Tourism can also be encouraged by joining the two lakes which receive fresh canal water. Water sports could be taken up in the lakes”, she added.
Mrs. Badal said Mr Manpreet Badal should tell the electorate whether he was in favour of this pro- people proposal or not so. This is very important for people to evaluate whether the Congress government is concerned about people’s needs or wants to fulfil its commercial interests only”, she added.