In a crackdown after chief minister Yogi Adityanath’s visit to a private hospital in Chinhat on Monday exposed filth on roads nearby, the Lucknow civic administration on Thursday imposed a ₹15 lakh penalty on a sanitation agency and dismissed 10 sanitation workers, including a supervisor.
This action was in addition to the bulldozer drive launched the same (Monday) night to demolish roadside huts and shops in the area.
The civic mess had come to light during the chief minister’s visit to Chandan Hospital to enquire about the health of former cabinet minister Dr Mahendra Singh.
The crackdown extended beyond sanitation. At around 11 pm on Monday, divisional commissioner Vijay Vishwas Pant reached the area for an inspection. Municipal corporation and Lucknow Development Authority (LDA) officials also rushed to the spot.
Pant expressed strong displeasure over encroachments along the stretch from Chinhat crossing to Chandan Hospital and the dilapidated service lane, directing officials to take immediate corrective measures.
Within minutes, Zone-4 officer Shilpa Kumari arrived with a municipal team. At around 11.40 pm, a bulldozer was deployed to remove roadside encroachments. Makeshift huts and shops occupied by potters and other vendors were demolished.
While shopkeepers alleged that the municipal team did not give them sufficient time to remove their belongings before razing the structures, Kumari maintained that the shopkeepers had been warned in advance to remove the encroachments and that the demolition was undertaken after prior notice.
{{/usCountry}}While shopkeepers alleged that the municipal team did not give them sufficient time to remove their belongings before razing the structures, Kumari maintained that the shopkeepers had been warned in advance to remove the encroachments and that the demolition was undertaken after prior notice.
{{/usCountry}}Shailendra Verma, corporator from Chinhat Second ward, said the service lane from Chandan Hospital to Parijat Apartments was extensively encroached upon and that the authorities had failed to take effective action despite the problem persisting for a long time.
“Government departments wake up only when senior officials or VIPs are scheduled to visit the area,” he said.