Lucknow: Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Tuesday stated that the Bharatiya Janata Party's victory in all 17 municipal corporations during the 2023 urban local bodies elections helped establish new models of urban development and sanitation in the state.
Inauguration of Public Welfare Projects
Addressing a program for the inauguration and foundation laying of various public welfare projects worth Rs 413 crore undertaken by the Lucknow Municipal Corporation, Yogi praised the transformation of Lucknow and credited public support for enabling the government to improve urban infrastructure and cleanliness standards in the state capital.
Overcoming Legacy of Corruption
Adityanath said his government worked to create better models of development and cleanliness, while also overcoming the legacy of corruption and poor civic management left by previous governments in the state. "We may not yet have achieved everything we aimed for, but much time was spent filling the pits created by previous governments and cleaning the garbage dumps of corruption," he remarked.
Cleanliness Ranking and Public Property
Highlighting the city's performance in sanitation, the chief minister said Lucknow secured the third position nationally in cleanliness rankings, calling it a major achievement while asserting that the city must now strive for the top spot. The chief minister also expressed concern over damage to public property and narrated an incident in which a person allegedly stole a flowerpot worth Rs 45 while driving a luxury car valued at around Rs 2.5 crore. "We install flowerpots for beautification, but some people take them away. CCTV cameras revealed that a person arrived in an expensive car just to steal a Rs 45 pot. The fuel spent on the car could easily have bought a new flowerpot," he said humorously, adding that he once considered putting the person's photograph up at a public crossing.
Rashtra Prerna Sthal Redevelopment
The chief minister also highlighted the redevelopment of the "Rashtra Prerna Sthal" in Lucknow, stressing that the site functioned as a dumping ground for garbage for more than three decades before being transformed into a modern public facility. "Today it has become a major centre with a museum, a large stage and facilities capable of hosting major rallies and events," he said.
Criticism of Previous Government
Yogi alleged that before 2017, the then Samajwadi Party government failed to provide housing to the poor and did not formulate schemes focused on the welfare of youth and economically weaker sections. He said the BJP-led government worked without discrimination based on caste, region, religion or identity and focused on what he described as the country's "four major social groups" — the poor, youth, women and farmers.
Challenges and Achievements
Calling Lucknow the state's largest municipal corporation and metropolitan city, Yogi said greater responsibilities naturally brought bigger challenges, but the city and the state were successfully overcoming them. Responding to critics and what he termed "negative politics," Yogi said BJP governments at the municipal, state and national levels introduced new models of development over the past three, nine and 12 years, respectively.
Future Plans
Yogi also spoke about plans for a model cowshed integrating cow protection, CNG production, compost generation, natural farming and waste-to-wealth initiatives. He praised the city's Integrated Command and Control Centre for improving traffic management, sanitation monitoring and urban governance.
Yogi urged public representatives and residents of Lucknow to support the government's development initiatives rather than create obstacles. "If development projects are supported positively and taken to new heights, future generations will thank us," he said.
