Tobacco puking aficionados are leaving the Lucknow Municipal Corporation red-faced, literally. Within hours of LMC white washing dividers and boundary walls, the civic body finds them defaced with paan stains. Another round of coating too fails as red stains are back soon.
Sample this: The divider road from Parivartan Chowk to Hanuman Setu Temple was painted on Wednesday. But after 24 hours, LMC officials found paan masala stains all over it. It was immediately repainted but paan stains were back on it the next day. Now, the civic body has deputed staff for regular monitoring of the stretch.
Same happened with road dividers painted in over a dozen areas including Rana Pratap Marg, Shahnajaf Road, MG Marg, Vikasnagar crossing and near Loreto Convent. Municipal commissioner Inderjit Singh said, “It is a common sight to see people spit tobacco on roads even from their cars or two-wheelers. We appeal to them not to spit on painted walls and dividers.””Though we will run an awareness campaign and also impose fines on those spitting in public space, it will be appreciated if people develop a civic sense on their own,” he added. TOI sought people’s views on such behaviour and got mixed responses. Rakesh Yadav said, “Civic authorities should first install dustbins where people can spit to stop such practices.”‘
“LMC should levy a hefty fine on them,” said Ranjana Dwivedi.Shashwat Singh of Nishatganj said, “This is extremely embarrassing as people don’t think twice before spitting on dividers or public property after chewing gutka or paan.”