Lucknow: The ball in your court! Step up for a cleaner city

The cleanliness of Lucknow is in your hands. As the city prepares for Swachh Survekshan 2024, residents have a crucial role to play in shaping its ranking. The Lucknow Municipal Corporation (LMC) is urging citizens to provide honest feedback on sanitation, waste management, and public cleanliness. This survey is more than just a formality—it is an opportunity to demand cleaner streets, regular waste collection, and a healthier environment. Your voice can drive real change and ensure Lucknow moves forward in cleanliness rankings.

Lucknow’s ranking has declined in recent years, slipping from 12th in 2020 to 17th in 2022 and further down to 44th in 2023 among 4,477 cities. In contrast, Indore has consistently secured the top spot, setting an example in waste management and public participation. With this in mind, LMC is working on a strategy to regain lost ground.

To improve its ranking, LMC has launched a three-pronged strategy—an online survey, door-to-door outreach, and the “Vote for City” campaign. Officials aim to collect responses from at least 25% of Lucknow’s 38 lakh registered residents, with 25,500 responses already submitted.

Last year, 3.47 lakh responses helped Lucknow secure nearly full marks in this category. The assessment will end by March 31, with results expected in April.

An LMC official explained that the Swachh Survekshan survey has commenced, with assessment teams arriving in Mohanlalganj. The survey consists of three categories -Swachh Survekshan (10,000 marks), Garbage-Free City (1,300 marks), and Water Plus (1,200 marks). Each category has different parameters, and three separate teams conduct the evaluations. In Swachh Survekshan, public feedback of three different categories holds significant weight, accounting for 1,500 marks.

Municipal commissioner Inderjit Singh has urged residents to submit their feedback on sbmurban.org/feedback, stating that honest reviews will help improve city services. “If we want cleaner streets, efficient waste collection, and better sanitation, we must actively participate,” he said.

Singh further emphasised that the civic body is actively working to resolve sanitation issues so that they could rank LMC better. “We are addressing all complaints through ongoing drives and have directed zonal in-charges to ensure cleanliness across the state capital,” he said.

The Swachh Survekshan evaluates key aspects such as household and commercial waste collection, dry and wet waste segregation, cleanliness of public spaces, and public awareness. The assessment is open until March 31, with results expected in April.

While LMC aims for a higher ranking, many residents feel that improvements on the ground matter more than numbers.

“Main roads shine, but our inner lanes remain ignored. We clean our lanes ourselves, yet garbage keeps piling up,” said Roop Kumar Sharma, a resident of Gomti Nagar, summing up the frustration of thousands in Lucknow. He, however, agreed to become part of the survey.

Vivek Sharma, a resident of Srishti Apartments in Jankipuram, said while he supported the LMC’s feedback drive, visible change on the ground is needed. “This survey doesn’t mean everything is fine. Some officials deliberately ignore problems like sewage maintenance and lane cleaning. If we fix these, Lucknow can perform even better next year,” he said.

Harshit Singh from Aashiyana pointed to irregularities in door-to-door waste collection under a newly assigned agency in Zone 8 and other affected areas. “The garbage collector comes whenever he wants. Complaints are ignored, and waste keeps piling up. I included this in my feedback,” he said.

Residents of Dalibagh shared similar grievances but chose to remain anonymous. “Sanitation officers show up only when complaints pile up. Otherwise, our lanes remain dirty, and potholes make commuting worse,” one resident said.

Lucknow’s falling rank raises an important question—will this campaign bring real improvements, or will it remain another exercise in data collection? Indore, which continues to top the rankings, has set an example through strict cleanliness enforcement and active public participation. Now, Lucknow has a chance to make a comeback—but only if its residents take action.