Lucknow's garbage collection campaign faces scrutiny from officials

Lucknow's district administration recently conducted surprise inspections of two areas to check on a garbage collection campaign. The campaign, called "Swachhata for rupees one," charges residents just ₹ 1 a day for door-to-door garbage collection. District magistrate Vishak G led the inspection in Semnapur Koryani. About 3,000 residents in this area are served by a single e-rickshaw for garbage pickup. During the audit, officials confirmed that the e-rickshaw followed its planned route, monitored by GPS. The inspection also highlighted issues with illegal dumping. The district magistrate instructed officials to issue notices and penalties to tackle the problem. He emphasized the need to compensate community members, called "Swachhata Sakhis," who help with garbage collection. In Pahad Nagar Tikaria, which has around 2,725 residents served by one e-rickshaw, problems were found at the resource recovery center. Despite having a cleanliness meeting on February 23, garbage sorting was happening in an unsanitary area outside the center. The district panchayati raj officer was asked to resolve this issue and take action against the sanitation worker responsible.