Offices struggle to stay clean as spitting menace continues in Lucknow
A recent visit by the Hindustan Times team to key government offices revealed that walls, corners, public spaces, and even lifts were stained with paan and gutkha spit,
Weeks after the UP Vidhan Sabha Speaker highlighted an MLA’s act of spitting on the assembly carpet, the persistent habit of indiscriminate spitting continues unchecked in government offices. Despite multiple directives urging employees to refrain from consuming paan and gutkha, spit stains still deface numerous government buildings across the district.
A recent visit by the Hindustan Times team to key government offices revealed that walls, corners, public spaces, and even lifts were stained with paan and gutkha spit, exposing a lack of hygiene and discipline within the administrative system.
At Indira Bhawan, which houses several government departments, nearly every corner, crevice and even lifts were found covered in gutkha stains. The condition of public toilets in the building is equally appalling. Even educated individuals often lack basic toilet etiquette, turning public restrooms into breeding grounds for infections. Most pink toilets remain locked, leaving visitors—especially pregnant women, the elderly, and those with urgent needs—struggling to find clean and accessible restrooms.
The irony is that even after the COVID-19 pandemic, people have not grasped how harmful their spit can be, said Dr Rohil Mehta, Orthopaedic surgeon at City Hospital & Trauma Centre.
Dr Mehta also pointed out that the same individuals who refrain from spitting in hotels do so freely in marketplaces, offices and even hospitals. The careless disposal of garbage in toilets further worsens the situation, clogging drainage systems and making restrooms unbearably filthy. Strict fines and punishments are the only solutions. Surveillance through CCTV cameras should be implemented in offices and public places to identify and penalise offenders.
The situation is no better at Jawahar Bhawan and Vikas Bhawan, which house several major government departments. From the main entrance to back offices, every wall bears evidence of rampant paan and gutkha consumption. Employees regularly spit outside offices after consuming paan masala. The toilets at Vikas Bhawan are in a deplorable state, with spider webs in corners, missing washbasin pipes, and paan stains covering the walls and tanks.
Even the Collectorate, the district’s administrative hub, has not been spared. The walls of key officials’ offices and corridor corners are heavily stained with paan and gutkha spit.
Other government buildings across the district are facing similar issues. Offices at the roadways bus stand, roadways workshop, ARTO office, basic education department, DIOS office, district panchayat, and Nagar Palika were also found defaced by gutkha stains.
If decisive action is not taken soon, public spaces will continue to suffer from unchecked spitting and poor sanitation, affecting both hygiene and the city’s image.