Diwali round the corner, LMC yet to clean up city

Lucknow: Diwali may be just a day away but civic authorities don't seem to be making much of an effort towards sprucing up the city for the festival.
Garbage is still dumped at various locations, despite several complaints to the Lucknow municipal corporation (LMC), say residents. "I have made three written complaints in the past three months but nobody has turned up to repair the broken road in our locality.An abandoned plot has become a dumping zone and it won't look any better on Diwali," said Ashok Srivastava, retired bank manager from Telibagh area.
Mahanagar doesn't fare any better with many areas remaining neglected. "I feel embarrassed to invite my friends over due to the broken road which makes for an uncomfortable ride to my house in Gole Market area. Despite complaints to LMC, no repair work has been done here," said Sonalika Azad, a corporate worker.
Street lights are defunct in some areas and they are completely missing in others. "It's difficult to move out after sunset. Winter is approaching so sun sets earlier and it gets dark and to top it all, there are no street lights here," said Garima, a student from Aashiana.
The same problem persists in Mahanagar, Chowk, Alambagh and Aashiana. "The drain gets choked every third day and nobody but the residents clean it to avoid blockage. If LMC can't clean it before Diwali, what do we expect them to do post-Diwali," said Priya Gaur, a resident of Indiranagar.
"Even if we try and cover all the sanitation-related issues before Diwali, it will be as bad post-Diwali. People should ensure cleanliness in their areas. and not pollute the environment in the name of celebrations," said LMC additional municipal commissioner PK Srivastav.