E-Paper
Filthy capital: Where is LMC’s army of sanitation staff?
As dengue, chikungunya strengthen grip over the state capital, the Lucknow Municipal Corporation slumbers on
Maintaining sanitation in the state capital is a battle that civic authorities are losing terribly. The evidence is everywhere and at all times. Filthy streets and crossings, and unchecked waterlogging have resulted in a spurt in the number of dengue cases in the city.
Expressing anger at the prevailing situation, the divisional commissioner, Dr Roshan Jacob, has recommended the removal of rubbish removal chief engineer and in-charge, Sanjay Katiyar, due to his lax approach and inefficiency in ensuring cleanliness in the city.
The privatisation of sanitation work too has failed in the city due to the deep-rooted corruption in the system. Experts say the common man has to pay the price every year in the form of epidemics like dengue and chikungunya.
Currently, around 10 agencies are supplying manpower to take care of sanitation work in the city.
In March, the previous municipal commissioner, Ajay Dwivedi, had sacked 2,500 sanitation workers for remaining away from work. He gave the outsourcing agencies enough time to prove the presence of these workers on the ground but they failed to do so.
“By removing the extra workers, the Lucknow Municipal Corporation (LMC) saved ₹3 crore per month,” said four-time corporator from JC Bose Ward, Sayyed Yawar Hussain Reshu.
“LMC still has a workforce of over 11,500 sanitation workers but how many of them work regularly is known only to officials or agencies who have appointed them for work,” he said.
The corporator of Ramji Lal Nagar Ward, Girish Mishra, said, “The LMC is paying around ₹7 crore per month but every year the city faces dengue and chikungunya.”
Dr Jacob has even directed the municipal commissioner to take action against concerned staff.
Inderjit Singh, municipal commissioner, said, “The system is improving and officials are directed to move in the field to ensure a clean city.”
He confirmed that the divisional commissioner has directed the removal of RR in-charge Sanjay Katiyar for his lackadaisical approach, but now the ball is in the court of ACS, urban development, who has to transfer him.”
Div Comm inspects Jiamau area
Divisional Commissioner Dr Roshan Jacob inspected Manas Nagar Colony, Jiamau, in the state capital in view of the rising dengue and communicable diseases on Thursday. She inspected fogging, cleaning and anti-larval spraying drives in the area.
Dr Jacob directed cleaning of drains by removing their covers. She directed anti-larval spraying in the drains to stop the breeding of mosquitoes and noted down the number of teams working in the area.
During the inspection, the divisional commissioner interacted with the people present there and enquired whether the cleanliness was being done on time or not. She appealed to the residents not to allow the accumulation of water and keep the surroundings clean. She said residents can dial the dengue control room as and when they require assistance.
