Lucknow: In Lucknow’s Jankipuram Extension, anger over a waterlogged, pothole-riddled service road has spilled into a protest that is equal parts sarcasm and civic desperation.Residents of multiple apartment complexes have issued a mock invitation to a ‘Keechad Mahotsav’ — a slush festival — naming public representatives and officials as ‘chief guests’ to witness what they call years of official neglect.The satirical invite announces the event for July 12 on the very stretch residents allege was built by authorities and then forgotten. It describes the muddy craters as a “historic gift”, urging guests to celebrate by splashing through the muck and “enjoying” the perennially flooded road. The invitation has been circulated in the name of Sargam Apartment RWA along with residents of Smriti, Srishti, Janeshwar and Sulabh Apartments, turning a daily commute into a stage for public accountability.Sargam Apartment RWA president Anurodh Rai said residents have approached the Lucknow Development Authority repeatedly for the past one-and-a-half years about a massive crater on the service road. Complaints, he alleged, have gone unanswered even as the damage has mounted. According to Rai, women and children have fallen into the crater while driving, vehicles have suffered punctured tyres, and the risk has become routine. He added that residents met the local MLA on April 22 and were assured the issue would be resolved, but no visible work has followed.The invitation’s slogans sharpen the message: “Keechad hi hamara adhikar, keechad hi hamara tyohar” and “Keechad mein hi apnapan, keechad mein hi samman”, framing the slush as both an imposed reality and a symbol of disregard. In its most biting flourish, the invite suggests the road construction tender should be cancelled so future generations can continue the “annual” mud festival.
