Rs 30cr allocated for new drains in city

Lucknow: Residents of over 50 localities including Mahanagar, Daliganj, Gomtinagar and Janakipuram may hope for monsoons next year free of water logging with Lucknow Municipal Corporation allocating around Rs 30 crore for building new drains and repairing old ones. The funds were sanctioned under the 13th finance commission seven months ago but could not be utilised due to delay in approval of jobs to be done.
Since most of the city is severely hit by water logging during rains and outflow of waste due to choked sewer lines, corporators wanted their wards to benefit first. Hence, there could be no consensus among them on which localities should benefit first.
LMC recently identified areas in urgent need of new drains for proper disposal of water. Municipal commissioner Uday Raj Singh said, “I faced a lot of resentment from some corporators while approving the work area-wise. I explained that their localities would also be taken up shortly from new installment of funds. We have chosen those areas which are worst hit during monsoons and need immediate attention.” The tenders will be issued and work will be awarded over the next 15 days.
Shortlisted work includes restoration of broken drains on the roads from Kathauta Jheel to Amar Shaheed Path, from Scooters India crossing to Chandra Prabha Hospital, besides building the retaining wall of drains near Medical College, drainage work in Gol Market of Mahanagar; sewerage work on Sapru Marg, drain from Kalidas Marg to Vikramaditya Marg, bridge above Hyder Canal, from Daliganj railway crossing to Panna Lal Road chouraha and from PWD colony near Bangla Bazar up to the main road.
The list also mentions laying of new pipeline on Jal Nigam Road of Balaganj which is in a dilapidated condition. Also change of damaged pipelines connecting pumping stations in Cis and Trans Gomti areas, drainage work in Lal Kuan, Chandganj in Aliganj ward and near Ghanta Ghar park of Hussainabad, covering of drain from Hahnemann Chouraha up to Vineet Khand-5 and restoring broken nullah from Prabhat chouraha to Anushka Apartment in Janakipuram-I ward.
Singh said out of the total funds granted, some portion went to the JNNURM related works, fire-safety arrangements and Jal Sansthan for supply pipelines leaving less funds for drainage work. “Next time, we will try to cover other drains of city too,” he assured.