Garbage complaints surge on LMC helpline

Lucknow: More than 2,600 complaints related to garbage collection were lodged at the Lucknow Municipal Corporation (LMC) helpline in two days.

The fivefold rise as compared to the daily average under normal conditions is due to a shortage of sanitation workers, most of whom have gone to their home states — Assam and West Bengal — to cast votes in assembly elections, officials said.

Residents from many parts of the city said that door-to-door waste collection has been deeply affected due to the crisis, resulting in the dumping of garbage in the open. The garbage heaps on the roadside are also not being lifted in a timely manner, they added.

Samarth Saxena, a resident of Samar Vihar, said, “Garbage has not been picked up from our houses for nearly six days. We are now forced to dump it in the open.”

Corporators also said they have to face the anger of residents over delays in garbage clearance.

“People are upset as waste is not being lifted on time. We are receiving continuous complaints from localities,” a corporator said.

Mukesh Singh Chauhan, corporator of Ismailganj ward, said, “There have been even heated exchanges with residents over complaints regarding garbage collection delays.”

Officials said steps are being taken to manage the situation, including redistribution of available manpower and prioritising areas with higher waste loads.

Mayor Sushma Kharkwal and LMC Commissioner Gaurav Kumar conducted a surprise inspection of several areas following complaints of uncollected garbage.

The mayor visited Sector 4 in Indiranagar in Zone 7 along with the municipal commissioner to assess the ground situation.

During the inspection, garbage was found lying uncollected for 15 days on the premises of a school. Officials said that despite prior information, no action was taken by the agency responsible for waste collection in the area.

The mayor expressed displeasure and directed immediate corrective measures.