UP fin min likely to review LMC’s projects on Nov 6; officials start fixing civic lapses
The growing chaos within the Lucknow Municipal Corporation has slowed down implementation of key works and routine maintenance, say citizens
LUCKNOW UP finance minister and in charge of Lucknow, Suresh Khanna, is likely to hold a meeting on November 6 to review the ongoing works of the Lucknow Municipal Corporation (LMC). He is expected to assess progress of various projects and conduct inspections of areas where civic problems persist.
The rift between the mayor and the municipal commissioner has hit the operations of the civic body, resulting in the visible accumulation of open waste, inoperative streetlights, damaged manhole covers and pothole-ridden roads throughout the city.
Ahead of the likely review meeting, officials have begun last-minute efforts to fix civic lapses, but residents remain doubtful whether temporary measures will bring lasting relief.
Despite multiple complaints, poor sanitation issues and dysfunctional streetlights continue in areas like Gomti Nagar, Indira Nagar, Dalibagh, Lalkuan, Hussainganj, Sadar and Aashiana. Residents say these problems have persisted for months despite civic officials frequently passing through the routes.
During HT’s visit on Saturday and Sunday to multiple areas, various issues were noticed including a pile of open waste lying in the Vibhuti Khand area, where LMC vehicles were also seen disposing of waste at the site. Similarly, dysfunctional streetlights was one of the major issues at Gomti Nagar extension. In Transport Nagar, broken roads and drain connectivity along with dysfunctional streetlights were the major problems.
The growing chaos within the civic body has slowed down implementation of key works and routine maintenance. Despite repeated orders being issued, there is little monitoring or cross-checking of their execution on the ground, said citizens.
A senior LMC official said the rift between mayor Sushma Kharkwal and municipal Commissioner Gaurav Kumar has disrupted coordination within civic departments.
A resident said every festival season brings a flurry of directions from the top, but most of them remain confined to paper. “There are no strict checks on contractors or field officers responsible for implementation,” said Abhishek Shukla, a resident of Aliganj.
“Every year, we are told things will improve before Diwali or Holi, but nothing changes. The garbage remains and the lights don’t work,” said Akash Verma, a resident of Indira Nagar.
When Hindustan Times tried to contact municipal commissioner Gaurav Kumar over the ongoing issues and the rift with the mayor, he remained unavailable for comment.
