India

Abstract

The Government of Punjab, through
 Government of India’s (GoI) Department of Economic Affairs
 (DEA) had requested the World Bank to provide non-lending
 technical assistance (NLTA) to provide high quality basic
 urban civic amenities to the residents of cities of Ludhiana
 and Amritsar in the areas of: water supply, sewerage, storm
 water drainage, solid waste management, and modern urban
 transport system. The study is expected to recommend
 measures and technologies to overcome the existing problems
 and transform the cities in to modern cities with
 substantially developed urban civic amenities. Capacity
 building, institution, and legal reforms will also be the
 component of the project report. After initial discussions
 with sector officials, a Bank team visited both Amritsar and
 Ludhiana cities to identify priority service level
 innovations and institutional challenges that have to be
 addressed under this NLTA for achieving desired
 transformative change. Currently, water supply is drawn from
 hundreds of unprotected bore wells across length and breadth
 of the city - which supply polluted water through an
 unplanned haphazard network. Utility, fully owned by the
 municipal corporation, will have operational autonomy to
 manage water and waste water services, whilst still be
 accountable to the corporation. Financial position will
 become clear, it can focus on becoming financially
 self-sustaining. The utility will make long term plans for
 water supply and sewage; and with government support may
 also be able to mobilize resources through this is unlikely
 in the short term in Amritsar.