The Hindu : Other States / Punjab News : A jewel in Amarinder's turban

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Friday, Dec 17, 2004

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A jewel in Amarinder's turban

By Sarabjit Pandher

CHANDIGARH, DEC.16. His almost three-year-old government may have faced major criticism on various counts, but the performance of the Ludhiana Municipal Corporation (LMC) is all set to become a shining jewel in the turban of the Punjab Chief Minister, Amarinder Singh.

That a major transformation has occurred in Punjab's only metropolitan city, since the present government assumed charge has been accepted by national and international institutions engaged in socio-economic development, business consortiums and rating agencies. A plethora of landmarks has been achieved without any additional financial liability on the state exchequer.

The World Bank, whose recent "Punjab Development Report'' was considered quite critical about the overall situation in the State, listed the LMC to record appreciation for implementing reforms, e-governance and installing Information Technology (IT)-based procedures being promoted by the State Government. It became the first Municipal Corporation in North India to fully computerise its procedures.

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) selected Ludhiana as the only case study for "municipal management and capacity building''. Subsequently, the Human Development Resource Centre of the UNDP and the state plans division of the Planning Commission of India listed the LMC to document as a short film on "Successful Governance Initiatives and Best Practices: Experiences from Indian States.''

The LMC Commissioner, S.K. Sharma, who attributes the achievements to the "vision'' of Capt. Amarinder Singh, who encourages imbibing corporate culture in government management, said that the other two case studies undertaken by the UNDP in the country include the "Community Contracting in Rural Water and Sanitation (Swajal) in Uttar Pradesh and Uttaranchal and the "Rajiv Gandhi Watershed Management Mission'' in Madhya Pradesh.

The initiatives that resulted in Ludhiana coming under the spotlight have also been certified by top rating agencies including the CRISIL and ICRA, which placed LMC in the number one position. Similarly, the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) ranked Ludhiana city among the "10 Top Cities'' for the best road network, where the LMC claims that 95 percent of the streetlights are functional. Impressed by the performance of the local government, the Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration would send a group of 12 trainee IAS officers for attachment with the LMC this winter.

In October 2002, it became the first Municipal Corporation to install a Bio-medical Waste Treatment plant, which daily incinerates and buries about five tonnes waste from hospitals, blood banks and veterinary clinics all over the State. However, the crowning glory for the LMC came last year, when it became the only Municipal Corporation in the country to provide potable water to its entire population dwelling in approved colonies. Mr Sharma reveals that the project started in 1998 when just 52 percent population was provided portable water. By October 2002, at a cost of Rs 32.68 crores, about 73 percent population was covered. After the present team took charge, in the next five months and at a cost of just Rs 8 crores the target of 100 percent was achieved. Mr. Sharma told The Hindu that as per the guidelines, in a non-scarce state, it is necessary for the Corporation to meet the condition of providing 135 litres per capita per day (LPCD) of potable water to qualify for the category of having achieved 100 percent coverage. But the LMC took care of the future needs of the city and has been providing 210 LPCD.

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A jewel in Amarinder's turban