Is Lucknow Mayor Shushma Kharakwal Raising Concerns About Unreliable Civic Officials?

Lucknow, Sep 11 (NationPress) On Thursday, the Mayor of Lucknow, Shushma Kharakwal, announced her intention to file a complaint with Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath regarding the lax performance of municipal officials who are frequently absent during designated working hours. In the meantime, she has requested a report from the Commissioner concerning this matter.

Kharakwal pointed out that the negligent behavior of these civic officials is causing significant inconvenience to the public.

“Chief Minister Adityanath has consistently emphasized the importance of effective public service delivery. However, the actions of certain irresponsible officials within the civic agency are undermining the efforts of the CM and his team,” she stated.

As the first citizen of Lucknow, Kharakwal remarked, “I have received numerous public complaints about the absence of civic employees. Residents have stated that their work is stalled due to this issue.”

She highlighted a specific case of a pension applicant who has been struggling for two years to secure their pension.

“I conducted a surprise audit of the Lucknow Municipal Corporation today and, aside from the Commissioner, I found very few senior officials present in their offices,” she noted.

The Mayor has formally requested the Commissioner to provide details regarding the whereabouts of senior officials who were absent during her inspection.

“If they assert that they were out for meetings, I want specifics about where these meetings were held. I will verify the accuracy of their claims,” she asserted.

Kharakwal also mentioned that she has compiled a list of absent officials and will escalate the matter to CM Adityanath if it isn’t addressed earnestly.

Additionally, the Mayor criticized the unauthorized disclosure of official and sensitive reports from LMC offices.

“I recently probed into a confidential report that was released to the public. When I inquired with officials, they feigned ignorance about it,” she said.

Taking a firm stance on this issue, the Mayor emphasized that officials must protect the documents relevant to their departments.

“As elected representatives, we are accountable to our constituents, and officials must also bear responsibility for such oversights. They are funded by the hard-earned money of taxpayers and cannot simply absolve themselves of accountability in situations of negligence,” she asserted.

Kharakwal's criticisms of civic officials come in light of similar complaints made by BJP MLAs, including Ministers, who have expressed frustration over officials disregarding their authority.

A few months earlier, UP Industrial Development Minister Nand Gopal Nandi had written to the CM, voicing concerns that officers do not heed his requests and instead create obstacles in progress by delaying files.