Deadline missed, Lucknow Municipal Corporation yet to clean 20% drains in city

LUCKNOW: Monsoon is around the corner but nearly 20% of the work of cleaning of city drains by the Lucknow Municipal Corporation is still pending even six days after the deadline.
Residents are apprehensive that if the task is not completed on time it may lead to extensive waterlogging in the rainy season as it happened after one hour of heavy showers on last Thursday.
According to LMC records, the city has 24 high drains and an 1,800 km network of rainwater drains which needs to get cleaned twice a year.
The civic body cleans high drains through its own resources while it hires private agencies for cleaning of small drains. The drive to clean the drains started on April 6 and was to be completed by May 31 so that waterlogging during monsoon can be prevented.
However, so far, 21 high drains (87%) and 1,450 km (80%) of small drains have been cleaned.
Peeyush Mishra of Vishal Khand in Gomtinagar complained that waterlogging was a major issue for the last 10 years but despite several complaints, LMC could not come up with a permanent solution.
“Drains are not cleaned on time and when they are cleaned, workers leave the silt behind on the sidewalks which flows back into the drains in the first monsoon shower,” he said.
LMC chief engineer of RR department, RN Tripathi, said, “Cleaning work of high drains is almost complete. We have already directed private agencies to complete cleaning work of small drains, as it is considered to be the main reason for waterlogging in the city. About 750 workers have been deployed for the task.”