LDA demolishes Gayatri Prajapati's under construction building

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Lucknow: The Lucknow Development Authority today demolished an under-construction building belonging to former Uttar Pradesh minister Gayatri Prajapati in Aashiana area of the state capital for flouting norms.

"The building which was under construction was being constructed on a residential plot given to him (Prajapati). The map of the building was passed accordingly. But the construction was not as per the approved plan," Lucknow Development Authority (LDA) Vice Chairman P N Singh told PTI.

He added that construction was under way for a commercial property in the three-storeyed building.

The demolition comes two days after the Allahabad High Court directed the Uttar Pradesh government to file a report on June 19 on the issue of an illegal construction in the city allegedly by former minister Gayatri Prajapati in connivance with some LDA officials.

On June 15, a vacation bench of Justice Vivek Chaudhary also directed the state and the LDA chairman to act against the erring officials who allowed the illegal construction in Ruchi Khand locality here.

The court's direction came on a petition moved by Prajapati's son Anurag. He had filed the petition in anticipation of some relief from the court challenging the order of demolition, and the court order came as a setback to him.

The court observed that no efforts were made by the LDA officers to demolish the illegal construction even though there was no stay order passed by any authority to stop it. Officials were in collusion with Anurag and his father and for reasons best known to them were not taking any effective steps for the demolition of illegal constructions, it said.

"It would have been appropriate to dismiss the petition at this stage but in that case this court has serious doubt that erring officers of the development authority will take any action at all against the illegal constructions of the petitioner or against the officers who have permitted such huge constructions to be raised without there being any sanctioned map."

Additional Advocate General M M Pandey and LDA lawyer Ratnesh Chandra submitted that their officials were ready and willing to comply with the law and would take immediate steps.

Both the counsels requested that the matter be adjourned only for a few days and they would submit a report of compliance of law.

At this, the court posted the matter for June 19 directing the LDA chairman to file his personal affidavit showing the steps taken by the next date against the illegal construction and also against the officers and employees of the LDA, who permitted them in an illegal manner.