Varanasi: UP finance and parliamentary affairs minister Suresh Kumar Khanna, who is also the minister in charge of Varanasi, reprimanded municipal officials on Wednesday over poor civic conditions in the city and ordered deduction of two days’ salary for negligence.The minister conducted a surprise inspection of the Meerapur Basahi slum in Ward 16 (Sarsaul). During the visit, he found heaps of garbage at several locations, damaged lanes, a faulty sewer line and waterlogging caused by poor drainage. He immediately summoned Varanasi Municipal Corporation (VMC) officials to the spot and expressed strong displeasure over the civic conditions. He directed the officials concerned to immediately repair the sewer and drainage systems, clear the vacant plot and restore the damaged lanes.Khanna said VMC officials must conduct regular field visits and stressed that slums, main roads, lanes and vacant plots should not become dumping sites. He warned that negligence in sanitation services was unacceptable.Later, he inaugurated a free health check-up camp for weavers at Lohta.
