LDA razes Prajapati’s illegal complex
The Lucknow Development Authority (LDA) on Saturday demolished former Samajwadi Party (SP) MLA Gayatri Prajapati’s under-construction commercial complex, coming up on a 350 sq metre residential plot at Saleh Nagar, Bangla Bazar. The building violated the approved map.
After getting a rap by the Lucknow bench of the Allahabad high court on June 15, the enforcement wing of the development authority brought down the structure in presence of senior district administration officials and police personnel.
LDA vice-chairman, Prabhu Narain Singh, said the drive lasted for over two hours.
Such an action against Prajapati, a former mining minister in the Samajwadi Party (SP) government, was not possible earlier. “All our attempts to demolish the building during SP rule were stonewalled,” said an official of the development authority.
On June 14, Anurag, Prajapati’s son and co-owner of the property, had petitioned the court, seeking a stay on the LDA’s demolition notice issued on April 25. The next day, the Lucknow bench of the Allahabad high court reprimanded LDA officials for not demolishing the complex despite there being no stay order issued by any authority.
Justice Vivek Chaudhary ordered the LDA chairman divisional commissioner Anil Garg - to file a personal affidavit by June 19, informing about the actions taken by the development authority against illegal constructions, and the officials responsible for the drives.
The court also pulled up LDA for colluding with Prajapati in his illegal activities.
Joint secretary LDA, Dhananjay Shukla, special officer, CL Mishra, and executive engineers, RD Varma and AK Singh, were present during the demolition drive. From the district administration, additional city magistrate (III), Anil Mishra, and station house officer, Ashiana police station, Sudhakar Pandey were there.