An internal audit by the Lucknow Municipal Corporation (LMC) has revealed that private sanitation agencies collected ₹3.40 crore in user charges for garbage collection but failed to deposit the funds. The largest discrepancy, over ₹3 crore, is linked to Lions Security Enviro, while Lucknow Swachhta Abhiyan (LSA) allegedly failed to deposit around ₹40 lakh. LMC has issued notices demanding immediate deposit of the pending amounts, threatening recovery from sanitation bills and potential criminal cases. A Congress corporator alleged the contracts were awarded under pressure.