The insights presented by Rajiv Lall, in his article "Why Indian administrators are poor service providers" (February 26), on the Indian urban administration issues are commendable. The prescriptions provided for overhauling the functions are also noteworthy. However, it is important to remember that solutions to urban governance problems are generally well known. It is the problem of implementation of such bright concepts where the real challenge lies. It may have been worthwhile to highlight islands of excellence in the urban landscape in India where, despite the known handicaps as described so vividly in the article, urban administrators have succeeded - for instance, the turnaround of the Surat Municipal Corporation, which is a case study in itself. The central message being that such models of governance are doable can be learned and replicated without further policy interventions.
Kalpana Dube Lucknow
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