From open waste spots to selfie points and back to dumping zones

LUCKNOW As part of the cleanliness drive conducted a few months ago, several spots in the city where locals would dump garbage were cleaned by the Lucknow Municipal Corporation (LMC). These spots were subsequently turned into selfie points. However, the change was short-lived. These points are again strewn with garbage.

According to some corporators, this is due to the tussle between the LMC and Ecogreen, the ousted Chinese firm which was tasked with the responsibility of garbage disposal. They add that the LMC has failed to collect waste in the city and treat it in the Shivri waste treatment plant through its vendors. Simultaneously, Ecogreen has not started door-to-door garbage collection despite directives from the district magistrate.

As a consequence, waste is piling up in areas like Alambagh, Chinhat, Indira Nagar, and Gomti Nagar, among others. Shafikur Rehman ‘Chacha’, senior corporator from Aminabad, said, “Where are the much-touted selfie points now? A few months back around 200 temporary open waste collection points were turned into selfie points. However, these selfie points have now disappeared and turned into waste points again. I have been pleading with LMC authorities to pick up solid waste at several points in my ward but they have not done anything except lip service.”

Mukesh Chauhan, spokesperson of the Congress party and former corporator, said, “Waste is not picked up from Arya Samaj Mandir Sector 9 Indira Nagar, Patel Nagar. As the process to remove Ecogreen is underway and the company is not doing any work in the city, the municipal corporation has taken things into its own hands. However, the situation is such that even the sanitation workers are not appearing to collect waste from houses. Therefore, the residents are forced to throw waste on the roadside. Even the LMC vendors are not picking up waste from homes or roads. It’s for the municipal commissioner to act fast.”

Former corporator Rudra Pratap also said that waste is now rotting in many areas of Ismailganj and Mulayam Nagar. In a similar vein, corporator Shravan Nayak from Shri Guru Govind Singh and Sardar Patel ward said, “Heaps of waste are lying at several spots in my ward. Municipal workers are trying but the problem is so huge that things are not getting back on track. At some places, the waste has not been picked up for three days and somewhere for five days.”

When asked about the issue, additional municipal commissioner Pankaj Singh said, “LMC is trying to use its resources for ensuring cleanliness in the city. Arrangements are being made to keep the city clean.”