Akbar Nagar: LDA ready to raze commercial sites as deadline lapses

LUCKNOW: The district administration is encountering significant challenges in enforcing the court-mandated eviction in Akbar Nagar. As the court’s deadline ended on Wednesday, many commercial establishments are yet to be vacated.
The high court directive mandated the evacuation of all commercial entities from Akbar Nagar by March 20. However, the deadline expired on Wednesday midnight. Following this, the Lucknow Development Authority (LDA) is prepared to take decisive action against encroachers occupying substantial portions of the Kukrail riverbed.
Many encroachers had already removed their belongings by Wednesday. Nonetheless, the authorities are prepared to address any remaining resistance encountered during the removal process. A total of 128 illegal commercial establishments have been earmarked for demolition, posing formidable obstacles to government initiatives aimed at revitalising the Kukrail river.
LDA V-C Indramani Tripathi said, “The court has directed their eviction after March 20. I appeal to commercial establishment owners to adhere to the court’s orders and collaborate with the authorities in their implementation””
Highlighting the context of encroachments in Akbar Nagar, Tripathi said, “The area is a major example of organised encroachment syndicates usurping government land. The transition of Kukrail riverbank from rudimentary structures in the 1980s to the proliferation of permanent constructions post-2002 was not possible without organised encroachment mafias. Because we have to reclaim the riverbed for environmental preservation of Kukrail river, so we will have to remove these encroachments.”
“In 1984, this area had some 284 encroachments, none of them were pucca. Similar was the situation in 1990 and 1992. But after 2002, the pucca construction started, and the riverbed was encroached in a methodical way. Now, when the river has to be rejuvenated, its riverbed has to be recovered. Today, there are more than 1,300 illegal encroachments. We are standing at a critical juncture in the ongoing struggle to restore the ecological integrity of the Kukrail river,” he said.
“The HC has ordered all the people running commercial establishments in Akbar Nagar to vacate the area by March 20. From Thursday, the LDA will be free to act against the encroachers occupying large spaces on the riverbed of the Kukrail river,” he added.