LDA evicting illegal occupants after 17 years

LUCKNOW: The Lucknow Development Authority (LDA) on Saturday started removing illegal occupants from its Basant Kunj housing scheme at Hardoi road after a long wait of 17 years.

It was in 2001-2002 that the development authority had launched the Basant Kunj housing scheme for homeless people. Out of 1006 houses built under the scheme, majority are in illegal possession.

The LDA carried out the drive after the Lucknow bench of Allahabad high court recently rapped the development authority, district magistrate and the Lucknow police for failing to restore the possession of the houses to its original allottees.

The high court took serious note of the issue during the hearing of a writ petition filed by one of the allottees.

On Saturday, LDA officials along with a large contingent of police force reached Basant Kunj and removed 17 illegal occupants. The LDA officials restored the possession of 11 houses to its original allottees on the spot.

The development authority had taken possession of the other six houses whose original allottees were not present.

“Those who were not present on the spot will be given the possession of their houses when they contact us,” said Vishwa Bhushan Mishra, nazool officer, LDA.

“We will advertise in newspapers so that the original allottees could approach us with the allotment papers to get possession of their houses,” said Mishra.

According to LDA officials, 448 houses are to be allotted to original allottees by evicting the illegal occupants.

In a phased manner, the development authority will remove the encroachers and restore the possession of the houses to its original occupants.