The committee also highlighted the disproportion between sewage generation and treatment capacity in urban areas.

Parliamentary Committee Flags Major Gaps in AMRUT Implementation in Punjab

A Parliamentary Standing Committee on Housing and Urban Affairs has raised serious concerns about the implementation gaps in the Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) across Punjab. It has highlighted major shortfalls in important urban water and wastewater infrastructure targets. According to the committee’s findings in its latest review of the AMRUT and AMRUT 2.0 programmes, a stark disparity was revealed between planned objectives and actual achievements in the state’s municipal services delivery.

According to the report, Punjab planned to commission five new water treatment plants (WTPs) with a combined capacity of 518.9 million litres per day (MLD) under AMRUT. However, only two plants with a capacity of 113 MLD were completed, leaving a shortfall of 405.9 MLD against the state’s target. In contrast, other states, such as Haryana, met more of their commissioning targets, with three WTPs totalling 9.5 MLD, including at least one completed project, highlighting Punjab’s lagging performance.

The committee also highlighted the disproportion between sewage generation and treatment capacity in urban areas. Punjab reportedly generates about 2,111 MLD of sewage, but its installed STP (sewage treatment plant) capacity stands around 1,628.5 MLD across 116 facilities, which are operating at roughly 80% utilisation, according to official data reviewed by the committee. The committee observed that this leaves an existing treatment gap of approximately 482.5 MLD that remains unaddressed.

While the state shows relatively high usage of existing infrastructure in comparison with some other regions, the absolute shortfall in capacity and the slow pace of commissioning under AMRUT 2.0 have drawn criticism from the parliamentary panel. The report also noted that Punjab’s proposed 363.7 kilometres of water distribution network replacement under AMRUT 2.0 was significantly lower than that of neighbouring states such as Haryana.

The committee’s assessment highlights the urgent need for improved planning, coordinated execution, and monitoring mechanisms to bridge implementation gaps, it said. Without accelerated progress, the state risks falling further behind national benchmarks for urban water and sanitation infrastructure, goals that underpin AMRUT’s mission to improve quality of life in urban India, the panel cautioned.

Source: Times of India