In Lucknow, drain cleaning remains ‘sluggish’ as deadline nears

Even after private agencies were awarded the tenders, the desilting of 335 medium-sized drains in the city seems to be going at a snail’s pace, if at all. This is even as May 31 has been set as the deadline for the completion of the monsoon preparatory works and after strict orders from the senior administration officials.

During a ground visit to Vibhuti Khand, Vivek Khand, Indira Nagar and Aashiyana on Friday, this reporter witnessed several clogged drains.

Near Lohia Hospital, drains were found filled with solid waste, with no sign of recent cleaning activity. Similar conditions were seen in Vibhuti Khand, where a drain running parallel to a key road that leads to a major shopping mall seemed untouched for months due to the spilling of garbage.

“Officials say the cleaning of drains has begun, but I haven’t seen a single worker. The drain stinks…” said Priya Verma, who regularly commutes on the route.

The city regularly witnesses waterlogging during monsoon. Despite last year’s similar budget for drain cleaning, parts of the city found themselves flooded by rainwater on several occasions. “In 2024, my shop was under knee-deep water. The drains hadn’t been cleaned then either. This year, nothing’s changed,” said Ramesh Gupta, who owns a business in Indira Nagar.

“There’s no supervision. Agencies awarded the tender aren’t working. It’s the public that will suffer again,” said Harshit Singh, who lives in Aashiyana.

When questioned, additional municipal commissioner Pankaj Srivastava said he would investigate the issue and take appropriate action against the agencies awarded the tenders for the cleaning of medium-sized drains.

Municipal commissioner Gaurav Kumar has issued a strict deadline of May 31 for the completion of cleaning works on all major and medium drains in the city.

LMC chief engineer (Civil) Mahesh Verma previously claimed that the cleaning of all medium-sized drains was underway.

Pic;