District admn to assess value of enemy properties

LUCKNOW: The district administration is gearing up to assess the value of enemy properties in the city and is also going to constitute a committee to look into the possible ways to ensure disposal of these properties in a time-bound way.

The move comes after the central government initiated the process to sell enemy properties by issuing guidelines and directing the office of the custodian to submit the list of all such movable and immovable assets within three months.

“Our team is on the job to assess the total cost of the enemy properties here,” said Shri Prakash Gupta, additional district magistrate (administration).

Gupta said the administration is yet to receive any order in writing from the custodian.

“As of now, we have the basic information about enemy properties and the total numbers of occupants. Once the order is received, we would act accordingly,” said Gupta.

However, officials with the district administration were found clueless over the fate of the occupants, who are residing in the enemy properties since years.

Officials said they are looking forward to the order and guidelines of the custodian that is yet to reach them.

They said the custodian is likely to constitute a valuation committee at the district level that would be headed by the district magistrate and other officials to ensure disposal of the properties in a time-bound manner.

The Centre’s move comes after the amendment of the Enemy Property (Amendment and Validation) Act, 2017 and the Enemy Property (Amendment) Rules, 2018, which ensures that the heirs of those who migrated to Pakistan and China during partition and afterwards would have no claim over the properties left behind in India.

The enemy properties are those that were left behind by the people who took citizenship of Pakistan and China.

Recently, the rents of enemy properties in Lucknow were revised.

Administrative officials said it’s for the first time in history when the rents of enemy properties were revised in Lucknow that houses around 167 enemy properties – said to be higher than any other district in the state. Of these, 112 disputed properties fall in Sadar tehsil, nine in Malihabad, 29 in Mohanlalganj and 17 in BKT.

A majority of these properties belong to Raja Mehmoodabad. Apart from Butler palace, Raja’s properties include the Capoors, Hotel-Royal Café building in Hazratganj, a portion of Janpath Market, Halwasiya Market (given on lease) and Mahmudabad Mansion opposite it.

Besides, Raja’s real estate empire is also spread over districts like Sitapur, Lakhimpur and Barabanki.

His lawyer, however, denied any effect of the government’s move on the Raja’s property saying that the matter was subjudice.