Lucknow faces sanitation crisis as thousands of workers leave to vote in Assam, Bengal

Lucknow is facing a growing sanitation crisis as thousands of sanitation workers have left the city to return to their native places in Assam and West Bengal to cast their votes. The sudden exodus has led to a severe shortage of manpower, disrupting routine garbage collection across several areas.

With fewer workers available, the municipal corporation has been forced to manage operations through double shifts and increased workload on the remaining staff. In some localities, additional labourers are being hired on daily wages ranging between ₹1,000 and ₹1,500 to handle waste collection, but services remain inconsistent.

Residents in areas such as Indira Nagar and Aliganj have reported a complete halt in garbage collection, leading to visible accumulation of waste. Many sanitation workers have locked their homes and left with their families, leaving both municipal and private waste collection services temporarily non-functional.

Officials said that while around 3,500 workers and 1,430 vehicles are typically deployed for sanitation work, nearly 10,000 workers have left during the election period. This has sharply reduced the city’s daily garbage collection, worsening cleanliness conditions and raising concerns among residents.