Ravi Dhaliwal

Tribune News Service

Kalanaur (Gurdaspur), May 24

Construction work on the much-awaited Rs 45-crore sugarcane institute has commenced on a war footing, giving a ray of hope to the unemployed youth and enabling farmers across the state to opt for better variety of seeds.

The venture is the brainchild of Cooperation Minister MLA Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa. It has been named the Guru Nanak Dev Sugarcane Research and Development Institute (GNDSRDI) and has been modelled on Pune-based Vasantdada Sugarcane Institute (VSI).

While Randhawa is the chairman, bureaucrat Puneet Goel is its member secretary. Shivraj Pal Singh Dhaliwal, cane expert and general manager, Ajnala Sugar Mill, has been appointed its director.

Upon its completion in May next year, the youth of this border district will be able to get employment. A 40-ft by15-ft hall has been constructed already and 15 acres has been brought under cultivation. Office infrastructure, including laboratories and classrooms, are being set up on 1 acre, while the remaining 99 acres will be used for research.

In later stages, courses such as sugar manufacturing certificate, sugar engineering diploma and sugar instrumentation technology will be started for the benefit of students. Twenty cane scientists and labourers are being recruited. Once money had been allocated in this year’s Budget, identifying the land for the venture turned out to be a tedious process. However, Randhawa managed to convince Kalanaur village panchayat to earmark 100 acres out of the 1,600 acres lying vacant in its possession.