Chandigarh, Aug 27 (PTI) Well-built roads, a multi-purpose stadium, open-air gymnasiums, two smart schools, a small lake and three parks are just a few things to highlight which made Sarsini a model village, earning huge praise from Union Minister Kapil Patil.

The village, with a population of over 2,200, is less than 40 km from Chandigarh near Lalru and is located close to the Chandigarh-Ambala national highway.

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The village panchayat has developed a small lake on four acres, where rainwater is collected and used for irrigation purposes.

A panchayat ghar has also been constructed at a cost of Rs 25 lakhs with basic facilities like kitchen, separate washrooms for men and women and a spacious meeting hall.

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A mid-day meal kitchen shed was constructed by the panchayat at Government Primary Smart School.

A project is being run in the village to collect waste from house to house. Each house pays Rs 50 as remuneration to the waste collector. The wet waste is disposed of in honey comb pits, where it is converted into compost in 45 days.

The compost is used for plants. The waste collector generates his income by selling the dry waste.

About 15,000 saplings have been planted in the cremation ground, parks and on roadsides besides a mini jungle.

Kuldeep Singh, whose sister-in-law Gurvinder Kaur is the village sarpanch, said several members of his extended family live abroad and a few years ago when many met, they decided that something must be done for their village and then thought came to plough back the money into the village for its development.

While Singh lived in Switzerland for nearly 24 years before deciding to settle in his village, his younger brother Manjit Singh is currently in Australia.

Manjit along with other family members with some support from the village Panchayat and the government, generated funds for the village's development, said Kuldeep.

Earlier, the schools and parks were in a bad shape. There was no open air gymnasium.

"Apart from generating money for converting the two schools--one which is up to primary level and the other one a high school--into smart ones, we had earlier pumped Rs 37 lakh to build the stadium," Kuldeep said.

During his recent visit to the village, Union Minister Kapil Patil was very happy at the development undertaken in the village, said Kuldeep.

Union Minister of State for Panchayati Raj Kapil Patil along with Punjab Rural Development Minister Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal, on the sidelines of an event in Chandigarh, had paid a visit to the village.

During his address to Sarsini residents, Patil had said "In true sense what an atmanirbhar village is, I have realised that by coming here."

Ranjit Singh, a local villager, said most people living in the village are into farming while some are into other jobs.

He said the village has seen a lot of development in recent years.

"While the stadium is a multi-purpose one, the lake is a big attraction, with villagers spending evenings at the site which also has a beautiful lighting system installed," he said.

"The two government schools are now in a much improved shape. A panchayat ghar can also accommodate guests coming from outside. A marriage palace has also been developed in the village," said Ranjit.

The village has a lot of greenery as stress has been laid on planting trees, he added.

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