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Penalised ₹80L, waste firms still fail to improve Lucknow’s cleanliness
LMC environmental engineer Sanjeev Pradhan said nearly ₹80 lakh in fines have been imposed so far for violations such as missed collection rounds, poor sweeping, improper waste transportation and unmaintained garbage points. The penalties will be deducted directly from the companies’ bills. “Payments will not be released unless they meet the prescribed norms,” he said.
Even after imposing almost ₹80 lakh in penalties on two private sanitation agencies, the Lucknow Municipal Corporation (LMC) is still struggling with overflowing garbage points and irregular door-to-door collection in several parts of the city.
Senior officials, including municipal commissioner Gaurav Kumar and Lucknow incharge and finance minister Suresh Khanna, recently conducted a series of surprise inspections across various localities. They found unattended garbage piles, open dumping and missed collection rounds, clear breaches of the service conditions set for private operators. These lapses continued despite repeated advisories and warnings issued by the civic body.
HT visits to several neighbourhoods also revealed that the situation on the ground remains largely unchanged, with waste still lying on street corners despite claims of strict action by LMC authorities.
LMC environmental engineer Sanjeev Pradhan said nearly ₹80 lakh in fines have been imposed so far for violations such as missed collection rounds, poor sweeping, improper waste transportation and unmaintained garbage points. The penalties will be deducted directly from the companies’ bills. “Payments will not be released unless they meet the prescribed norms,” he said.
The LMC had engaged private firms to streamline waste management and improve sanitation, but the recurring gaps show that fines alone have not led to better performance.
Following the commissioner’s directions, zonal sanitary officers have intensified field checks. At least one zone reports action against the agencies almost twice a week for non-compliance. Officials said monitoring will continue until steady improvements are visible in door-to-door collection and street sweeping.
Sources in the LMC admit that sanitation remains a persistent challenge as the operators often fail to deploy enough staff, maintain route-wise collection or ensure timely lifting of waste from secondary points. These shortcomings violate contract norms and also drag down the city’s Swachh Survekshan score.
