UP Govt Hands Over Flats Constructed On Gangster Atiq Ahmed's 'Illegal' Land To Poor

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath handed over keys to the beneficiaries of 76 affordable housing units constructed under the PMAY Scheme

New Delhi: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath handed over keys on Friday to the beneficiaries of 76 affordable housing units constructed under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY) on the land reclaimed from the possession of slain gangster Atiq Ahamed in Prayagraj. CM Yogi Adityanath interacted with children at the site of the flats that have been handed over to the beneficiaries. He also inspected the flats for the poor. A beneficiary told ANI that "It feels great. I could never have imagined that I will get my own house. Now nobody will tell me to leave from here..." Beneficiaries will get a flat built on 41 square metres for only Rs 3.5 lakh. Officials said that a flat with two rooms, a kitchen, and toilet facilities costs Rs 6 lakh.

As many as 76 flats built for the poor, on land confiscated from slain gangster-turned-politician Atiq Ahmed in Uttar Pradesh's Prayagraj were allotted through a lottery on June 9. "The lottery was drawn for allotment in the auditorium of Allahabad Medical Association. After verification of 6,030 applicants, 1,590 were found eligible to participate in the lottery," Arvind Kumar Chauhan ViceChairman of Prayagraj Development Authority (PDA) said.

CM Yogi had on December 26, 2021, laid the foundation stone for this affordable housing project on 1,731 square meters of land after it was freed from the possession of Atiq in the Lukerganj area of Prayagraj.

This project has been taken up by the District Urban Development Authorities (DUDA) under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY), and as many as 76 flats have been built in two blocks, officials said.

Atiq Ahmed was accused in the 2005 murder of Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) MLA Raju Pal and also in the killing of a key witness in that case, Umesh Pal, in February this year. Atiq Ahmed and his brother Ashraf Ahmed were shot dead by men posing as journalists on April 15 night this year, while they were being taken for a medical examination in Prayagraj.