LDA to develop park on 14-acre green belt taken back from hotel

The Lucknow Development Authority (LDA) on Wednesday took back 14.217acre green belt from Taj Hotel that was allotted to it on a 25-year lease. The area will now be developed as a public park.

The development authority terminated the allotment of land after the expiry of the lease period and violation of terms and conditions of the lease by the hotel management, said LDA officials.

In the presence of LDA vicechairman Akshay Tripathi, the development authority took the green belt in the rear part of the hotel in its possession.

“The LDA will now develop the green belt as a park for public use. From Monday (May 23), it will be open for the public. The timings will be finalised soon and entry will be free,” said Akshay Tripathi, vicechairman, LDA.

“The park will have a kids zone, synthetic track along with other amenities as per guidelines of the National Green Tribunal,” he said.

According to the LDA V-C, the development authority on February 17, 1994, had allotted 14.217-acre green belt in Vipin Khand, Gomti Nagar, to Taj Hotel on a 25-year lease that expired on February 16, 2019.

“The hotel management had applied for renewal of lease. Thereafter, a committee comprising LDA officials was constituted to carry out on-spot examination of the land (green belt) leased to Taj Hotel to find out whether lease conditions were being fulfilled or not,” said Tripathi.

“The committee found that conditions of the lease were being violated. According to the lease, the green belt was to be developed for public use free of cost,” he said.

Instead, it was being used for commercial purpose, he added.

According to the lease, the hotel management had to allot 1,000 rooms in a year to the state tourism department, which it did not allot, said the LDA. All efforts to contact the Taj Hotel management failed as officials did not respond to phone calls.