LMC boss leaves it to 48 hrs!

IT TOOK Lucknow Municipal Corporation (LMC) just 48 hours to undo what it had painstakingly achieved over past three months after spending lakhs of rupees on plantation and beautification work at the Lakshman Mela Ground here.

IT TOOK Lucknow Municipal Corporation (LMC) just 48 hours to undo what it had painstakingly achieved over past three months after spending lakhs of rupees on plantation and beautification work at the Lakshman Mela Ground here.

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The irony is only heightened by the fact that the civic agency is again being made to spend another couple of lakhs to restore the 54,000 square metre of area back to its old form for Samajwadi Party’s November 25 rally. According to an LMC official, around 80 labourers were pressed into service to pull out the saplings that have now been dumped in a makeshift tent put up especially for the purpose at the venue itself. How many of them will ultimately survive remains to be seen.

On Wednesday as LMC officials looked for alternative sites to replant the 6,000-odd saplings and shrubs it had uprooted from the Mela Ground, Municipal Commissioner RB Maurya himself went on leave to avoid facing the media on the issue. Mayor Dinesh Sharma too was evasive on the issue saying that he was not consulted on the decision. “I got learnt about the incident from the Municipal Commissioner, who rang me up on Tuesday evening and informed that around 300 saplings were uprooted by them at the Mela Sthal,” he said. So how much money spent on the beautification actually went down the drain? The LMC officers were reluctant to reveal the loss. But, sources disclosed that an amount ranging between Rs 8 to Rs 10 lakhs was spent on the exercise. “We had purchased various varieties like Kadamb, Maulshree, Jamun and Kanak Champa measuring 8 to 15 feet in height. The prices of these saplings ranged from Rs 200 to Rs 260 per piece,” said an official looking after the preparatory arrangements. Besides, a substantial amount was also spent on putting up wire fences around these saplings and leveling the area that served as the parking lot for the venue.

“Since neither the Municipal Commissioner nor the Mayor was available today, we could not decide on the alternative site where these saplings are to be replanted,” said an LMC officer.

On the other hand, the LMC move has evoked a strong reaction from a voluntary organisation Samajik Sarokar Manch. In a meeting held to condemn the act on Wednesday, the convener of the Manch Dr PK Gupta said the LMC had set a dangerous precedent. He demanded stern action against the guilty LMC officials and urged that the uprooted saplings should be replanted immediately.