LUCKNOW, March 24 -- The Lucknow Municipal Corporation (LMC) has planned to add around three new zones and restructure its existing ones to improve tax collection and ensure faster delivery of civic services, following a major expansion of its jurisdiction. Municipal commissioner Gaurav Kumar said the civic body will reorganise zones to create equal administrative capacity, as the current uneven distribution has been affecting efficiency. The move comes after the LMC's area expanded from around 310 sq km to nearly 566 sq km with the inclusion of several new localities. Officials said present zonal structure shows wide variation in size and number of wards, leading to administrative challenges. Zone 6 currently has the highest number of wards at 22, while Zone 5 has only nine. Zone 3 has 19 wards, Zone 7 has 14, Zone 8 has 13, Zone 1 has 12, Zone 2 has 11 and Zone 4 has 10 wards. Chief tax assessment officer Ashok Singh said the imbalance affects tax collection and grievance redressal. "We are planning to equalise all zones in terms of wards and geographical area so that work can be distributed efficiently," he said. Singh said the number of registered properties in the city currently stands at around 7.47 lakh and is expected to increase to nearly 9.5 lakh as remaining properties are brought under the tax net. He added that the expansion dates back to December 2019, when 87 villages, including Khargapur, Malhaur and areas like Ansal API, were merged into the municipal limits, significantly increasing the city's administrative burden. Officials said large zones with limited staff have been a key hurdle in effective governance. The restructuring will allow the LMC to deploy more officers across newly created zones, improving monitoring and ensuring quicker resolution of public complaints. "The aim is to reduce the geographical spread of each zone so that officials can respond to issues promptly," Singh said. Kumar said the proposal is in planning stage and is expected to be finalised within two months. Once implemented, the number of zones in the city will increase from eight to around 11. htc...