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Overflowing sewers, water contamination, streetlights dominate LMC house meeting
Civic issues like sewer overflow and water contamination dominated a Lucknow Municipal meeting, prompting the mayor to schedule a follow-up for responses.
Civic issues such as overflowing sewer lines, water contamination, dysfunctional streetlights, road encroachment and irregular door-to-door waste collection dominated the Lucknow Municipal Corporation (LMC) House meeting held on Tuesday. Corporators from across the city accused LMC wings of negligence and inaction.
As similar complaints were raised from multiple wards, mayor Sushma Kharkwal took cognisance of them and directed corporators to submit their questions limited to sewer and water contamination in writing. She announced that a special meeting would be held on February 3, during which senior LMC officials would be required to respond to each query raised by the corporators in the House.
Samajwadi Party corporator Gulshan said the municipal corporation failed to take corrective measures even after people died due to open drains.
BJP corporator Ranjit Singh demanded the construction of public toilets at Katki Mela Ground and pointed out that half of the adjoining road remained without streetlights.
Another BJP corporator Saurabh Singh Monu raised concerns over the poor condition of pink toilets, triggering a sharp exchange between the mayor and environmental engineer Sanjeev Pradhan.
SP corporator Badshah Ghazi said the sewer line in a private society had remained damaged for the past eight years, with no resolution despite repeated complaints to the Jal Nigam.
BJP corporator Kamlesh Kumari flagged sewer issues in her ward and sought an explanation from the road lighting department over delays in installing streetlights at Sector H. LMC chief engineer (electrical and mechanical) Manoj Prabhat claimed that a tender had been issued, following which the mayor sought a detailed report on the work completed and warned officials of strict action in case of lapses.
BJP corporator Amit Chaudhary alleged sewer overflow and lack of water supply in Jiyamau. Alleging harassment at the hands of an official, Chaudhary broke down during the discussion and left the House.
Jalkal general manager Kuldeep Singh, replying to the corporators’ questions, said daily water testing was being done by executive engineers and other staff. He added all complaints of contaminated water in the last six months had been looked into.
SP corporator Surendra Valmiki highlighted persistent dirty water complaints in Indira Nagar and demanded replacement of 45-year-old pipelines in old colonies. To this, the mayor instructed all corporators to submit written proposals on pipeline replacement so that a consolidated proposal could be sent to the government.
Also, the mayor reprimanded zonal officer Om Prakash Singh over road encroachment in Hazratganj, lalbagh, Qaiserbagh, Dalibagh and other areas
