LDA likely to take a U-turn, scrap its earlier decision

LUCKNOW: The Lucknow Development Authority is likely to revoke its earlier decision of approving change of land use from residential to commercial, which would have benefited 71 influential people .

To recall, during the tenure of former LDA vice chairman Satyendra Singh, (in the Samajwadi Party government’s regime), the development authority had passed a proposal at its board meeting, giving consent to change of land use.

The beneficiaries of the LDA’s policy change were influential politicians and bureaucrats. Some of them had already deposited part of the requisite fee which the LDA had levied for change of land use.

Now, the development authority is said to be going in for a policy reversal. The planning cell of the development authority has already prepared a proposal for revoking its earlier decision about change of land use from residential to commercial. The proposal would be tabled at the board meeting of the development authority proposed on May 24. According to sources, chairman of the LDA board and divisional commissioner Anil Garg gave his consent to revoke the earlier decision when LDA VC Prabhu Narain Singh took up the issue with him.

“Now, when the LDA has decided to revoke its earlier decision of changing land use from residential to commercial, it will return the fee which some people deposited to avail this benefit,” said a senior LDA official.

After its decision of kowtowing to some influential people of the city, the LDA drew flak from all quarters. In an effort to wash off this criticism, the development authority then came out with a second list approving change of land use for 21 people and a third list of 258 beneficiaries.

“The decision was taken to brush aside the criticism that LDA was only taking care of influential people,” said an LDA official. But the second and the third lists had remained confined to papers only. Nothing moved beyond file work as the list comprised beneficiaries who were not so influential. Consequently, there was again criticism from all sides.