LUCKNOW, July 6 -- Intermittent monsoon showers have exposed shortcomings in the Lucknow Municipal Corporation's (LMC) pre-monsoon desilting drive, with several medium-sized drains along major roads still clogged despite the deadline for completing the exercise before the rains. A ground visit by Hindustan Times to multiple locations found silt-filled drains, incomplete desilting work and excavated sludge left along roadsides, raising questions over the effectiveness of a drive on which the civic body spent several crores of rupees to prevent waterlogging. At Kathauta Chauraha, a medium-sized drain running alongside the main road remained clogged with silt and vegetation, restricting the flow of rainwater. Residents said the drain had received little attention despite repeated rainfall over the past few days. Near Vibhuti Khand railway station, workers had removed silt from a drain but left it on the roadside instead of transporting it to designated dumping sites. Subsequent showers washed much of the excavated sludge back into the drain, virtually undoing the desilting work and leaving the channel in the same condition as before. A similar situation was observed in Vikas Nagar, where an open drain remained clogged with silt and solid waste. The narrowed water channel has increased the risk of overflowing during heavy rainfall, posing the threat of waterlogging in nearby residential areas. Close to Ahimamau, another drain was found left open after desilting, posing a safety hazard as vehicles could accidentally fall into it. The findings suggest that while desilting has been carried out at several locations, inadequate supervision and delayed disposal of excavated silt have reduced its effectiveness. LMC chief engineer (electrical and mechanical) Manoj Prabhat said the civic body had cleaned medium-sized drains using its own machines and that any location where problems persist would be inspected again....