Lucknow Dedicates Rs 600 Crore For Sanitation After Poor Ranking In Swachh Survekshan, Rs 200 Crore For Roads

The Lucknow Municipal Corporation (LMC) is set to dedicate Rs 800 crore in its upcoming Rs 4,800 crore budget for sweeping upgrades to sanitation and road infrastructure, reported Times of India.

Lucknow, long grappling with its underwhelming performance in the Swachh Survekshan rankings.

In the latest Swachh Survekshan survey conducted in 2023, the city slipped to 44th place among 4,477 cities — a sharp decline from its 17th position in 2022 and its peak rank of 12th in both 2020 and 2021. Due to this, the city administration appears to be taking urgent corrective measures.

Of the additional Rs 800 crore in this year’s budget — a significant jump from last year’s Rs 4,000 crore — Rs 600 crore will go exclusively towards improving the city’s sanitation system, doubling the previous allocation of Rs 300 crore.

Door-to-door waste collection, currently limited in reach, will be expanded significantly. These moves come as the city continues to rely heavily on private firms for waste management, which has increased operational costs.

On the infrastructure front, Rs 200 crore will be dedicated to road development under the Chief Minister Grid Road Yojna (CM Grid Road Scheme).

Seven roads have already been completed at a cost of Rs 186 crore, and Rs 125 crore has been sanctioned for four more under Phase II. The upcoming allocation seeks to fast-track this momentum.

The budget proposal, scheduled to be presented at the LMC’s executive meeting on 10 March, signals a strong intent to turn Lucknow’s civic image around.