Mayor Sanyukta Bhatia

1. How did you make your journey fruitful..as Lucknow has become a  beautiful city and you have contributed a lot to this?

I have always had a dream to contribute to the growth of Lucknow city and take it to newer heights. Being a woman, people questioned my position, but that thrilled me, even more, to work harder. It started with Lok Mangal Divas. I visited different districts of the city every Tuesday to interact with the public on ground level. After being aware of the obstacles the general public was facing, I started working to eradicate all those troubles. 

I have always made a point to daily visit around the city for inspection and supervision. Being on the ground, I started working towards getting all on-road dumping grounds removed. It was ensured that all cleanliness workers reach every nook and corner of the city to maintain hygiene and no garbage is dumped on the ground. We attempted to beautify all walls and get smart city traffic lights within the city to add a visual appeal. We have been striving hard to take Lucknow to the number 1 ranking in terms of cleanliness. With our constant efforts, we have jumped on the list from rank 269 to rank 12 in the span of 4 years.

2. What are the plans and strategies devised to maintain the cleanliness of River Gomti?

A permanent       machine is installed for cleaning the river. We have allotted a fixed budget to clean the dirty water canals falling into river Gomti. The techniques of bio-remediation and other efforts are also going on. 

3. Nagar Nigam is all about road cleanliness, garbage, city hygiene, etc. you have huge manpower who does all this. How do you monitor all this?

Supporting the digital India initiatives of our honourable Prime Minister, Mr Narendra Modi, there are arrangements for digital monitoring of work. We make use of a mobile application to maintain attendance and supervise all the work allocation and task completion. A supervisor and zonal officer are also appointed to monitor all work advancements manually.

4. How to take care of the wellness of stray animals that cause accidents and trash on the road?

A lot of sick or non-milking animals were abandoned on the street. They also consume trash from the road. We have established a relief home for such animals to ensure medical facilities, hygiene and nutrition. And as guided by our honourable chief minister Adityanath Yogi, we are all working hard to take care of our cows.

5. In An incident that happened wherein a sewer cleaner died because of a poisonous gas inside, what steps are being taken about people cleaning sewers without the safety equipment?

We have strictly implemented the orders issued by the High Court that no such manual cleaning will be done anymore. With the technology provided by Switch India company, all cleaning efforts are done with the help of machines and robots. The presence and signatures of a zonal officer are also made mandatory during the ongoing cleaning.

6. Monsoon season is approaching. What steps Nagar Nigam is taking to avoid water logging and overflow?

We are making all efforts to eradicate water logging. We have been maintaining the cleanliness of all our water canals and efforts are done annually to ensure no dirty water remains stagnant. Despite having a fractured leg, I have an entire team to ensure all canals are thoroughly cleaned before the onset of monsoons.

7. Is there any helpline or one point contact in various wards so that the public can go and file their complaints?

Every Tuesday, I personally visit different zones to have a one on one interaction with the public. All department heads accompany me on such visits. People can also reach out to me via social media handles and mobile applications. A contact number is also available for the public to express the problems they have been facing. The contact is 5222307770

8. At this age you still work so much, even during the pandemic, despite having a fractured leg you were seen with a walker at one demolition site…from where do you get so much energy?

All my efforts are driven by a motive to stand up to the expectations of the citizens of Lucknow. Despite having late-night events, marriages etc, I ensure that I mark my presence on the early morning daily supervision.

9. Before becoming mayor what was your pass time?

Even before becoming a mayor, I have always wanted to serve the public and contribute to the growth of the city. Helping people has always been my passion and after being appointed as a mayor, I have been graced with an opportunity to follow what makes me happy the most.

10. How do u take time to spend some time with your grandchildren?

I try to make as much time as I can for my grandchildren. Even for late-night movies etc. Also, I have had the privilege of personally knowing the Late honourable Mr Atal Bihari Vajpayee, and with his guidance, I have been steering through maintaining work-life balance.

11.  Message to women, and girls on safety, security, and empowerment?

The future is female. There was a time when there were multiple restrictions on females, but now with constant efforts of Women Empowerment by our government, women are proving themselves in every field and passing with flying colours. I am always standing in support of women and I extend all my help to uplift them. My message to them is to keep going and keep moving forward.

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

Aditi Gupta