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Submit list of pending cases, trace missing letters: Mayor tells LMC property dept officials

Submit list of pending cases, trace missing letters: Mayor tells LMC property dept officials

Hindustan Times10-06-2025
LUCKNOW The functioning of Lucknow Municipal Corporation's property department drew sharp criticism after serious lapses surfaced in handling pending court cases and the disappearance of official correspondence. These issues have reportedly caused both financial losses and administrative setbacks to the civic body, stated an official release.
Mayor Sushma Kharkwal, during a review meeting at the LMC head office on Monday, expressed concern over the situation and issued strict instructions to the department staff.
She directed all lekhpals and officials concerned to immediately submit an updated list of all legal cases pending in courts, especially those related to the Public Premises Eviction (PPE) Act. She also demanded a date-wise breakdown and detailed status report of each case to assess delays in proceedings and departmental response, the release stated.
The mayor warned that negligence in pursuing these cases is leading to losses to the corporation and such carelessness would not be tolerated.
One of the most serious concerns raised during the meeting was the mishandling of correspondence sent from the mayor's office. Kharkwal said several official letters have gone missing within the property department and have not reached the designated lekhpals or officials.
She directed that all missing letters be immediately traced, and going forward, a system be put in place to ensure timely written replies to all correspondence from her office. 'There must be strict accountability. No letter should go missing, and all must be responded to within a fixed time limit,' the mayor said.
The mayor instructed the department to prepare a comprehensive report of all complaints received in the last two years from public representatives—including MPs, MLAs, MLCs and corporators. This report must include action taken and the current status of each complaint.
She emphasised that grievances raised by elected representatives reflect public issues and should be resolved with top priority.
Municipal commissioner Gaurav Kumar, additional municipal commissioner Namrata Singh, property incharge Sanjay Yadav, naib tehsildars and all lekhpals of the department were present during the meeting.
Following the mayor's directives, the LMC is likely to initiate departmental audits, strengthen its legal follow-up system, and improve document tracking mechanisms to avoid such lapses in future.
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