The Punjab government has initiated a three-year Punjab Municipal Services Improvement Project (PMSIP), initially in 16 Town Municipal Associations of the province including Kasur, which will cost Rs 3.45 billion, learnt here on Wednesday.
The project aimed to ensure improvement in services provided to citizens by the local administrations. It said that Rs 693 million had been allocated in the current fiscal for the initial stage of the project which would cover 16 TMAs -Duniyapur, Liaquatpur, Mailsi, Lodhran, Kasur, Daska, Bhalwal, Jhelum, Pind Dadan Khan, Chiniot, Toba Tek Singh, Attock, Fateh Jang, Talagang, Chakwal and Shorkot.
In the next fiscal year the project would be expanded to include more town administrations, it said.
PMSIP will focus on improvement of various vital services such as water supply, sewage and drainage, solid waste management, street-lighting, parks, roads, bus and rail terminals. It would also provide training programmes for TMA staff to optimise their performance.
It said that the project was part of the government objective to ensure increased co-operation and harmony between the local administrations and the bureaucracy, and to maintain balance of authority so that the people could be the ultimate beneficiaries.