Lucknow: Samajwadi Party (SP) president Akhilesh Yadav on Tuesday accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government of indulging in corruption in the name of smart city scheme and said that the condition of the cities in the state has worsened and people are facing the problems of filth and traffic jams.
Addressing a press conference at SP’s state office, Akhilesh said that at the time when BJP had its mayors in several Municipal Corporations, including Lucknow, Kanpur and Varanasi, the party is appealing to form a triple engine government to speed up development, but potholes, traffic jams and filth in these cities expose the claims of the BJP government.
He said that the situation has worsened in the municipal corporations in the entire state. “The government promised that electricity would be generated from the garbage, forget about the electricity, the city in fact is covered with heaps of garbage,” he said.
Akhilesh said that big cities are struggling with the problem of jam. “The city is given a face lift only when a foreign diplomat or a big leader arrives. Drains are falling in Gomti river. This government has ruined the riverfront. Urban people have to bear the burden of inflation. The law and order situation is worse,” he said.
He said that corruption is taking place in the name of the smart city. “Only the work done by the Samajwadis is visible in Lucknow. The traffic system has collapsed. The hospitals are in a bad shape. In fact, the BJP government wants to divert the attention of the public from these issues,” he said.
SP’s mayoral candidate from Lucknow Vandana Mishra was also present in the press conference. She claimed that not a single park has been beautified in Lucknow.
