Ownership and commitment of the Punjab government toward the Punjab Local Government Ordinance (PLGO), 2001 decreased over the project implementation period. The PLGO 2001 reforms were embedded in the tehsil municipal administration (TMA) selection criteria and were supported through municipal management capacity-building initiatives to ensure sustainability of investments. Due to the lack of political will and weak capacities of the implementing agencies, however, the implementation of the reforms and municipal management activities was marginal. With more focus on infrastructure, and limited attention to TMA selection criteria and related benchmarks, this gap could not be fully addressed during implementation. Urban projects need an integrated approach, and infrastructure alone cannot result in improved services, unless different services complement each other, and capacities, resources, and systems are in place to sustainably deliver these services.
Southern Punjab Basic Urban Services Project