The Lucknow Bachao Sangarsh Samiti, a forum formed by civil society and political parties, has vowed that it will not allow the State Government to demolish even one more home in Lucknow as part of its urban project. The forum has demanded compensation and rehabilitation for Akbar Nagar residents who have been displaced by demolitions. They are to run a campaign from July 26 to sensitise people about the demolition drive in U.P.’s capital. They claim the State Government’s actions resemble those of a dictatorial establishment. The State is using its rejuvenation agenda as a cover to ride roughshod over people, they said. Various left wing parties are also part of the forum.
“The government violated people’s fundamental right to live and evicted them. Till date, proper compensation has not been provided to the victims in Akbar Nagar. The one-room homes allocated to them in the Vasant Kunj project are a farce as they lack basic facilities like health and schools. A ₹ 3,300 monthly loan for 15 years needs to be paid to avail of the allotted new accommodation, it is unacceptable,” said Imran Raza, a member of Lucknow Bachao Sangarsh Samiti.
State misadventure
Mr. Raza said the group came about because of the blatant disregard for the rule of law and “misadventure by the State Government against the poor.” “In the name of rejuvenation, we witnessed what happened in Akbar Nagar. They tried similar tactics in Pant Nagar, Rahimnagar, and Indraprastha Nagar, but after the pushback, they pulled back. “The State cannot deprive people of homes they have lived in for 80–90 years over its Kukrail river revival project. The government cannot be allowed to hurt common people,” said Mr. Raza.
Over the last six months, demolition drives have been carried out in Akbar Nagar locality, leading to hundreds of houses being destroyed. Last week, officials of the irrigation department, put red marks on many houses located in Pantnagar, Rahim Nagar and Indraprastha Nagar localities that were within 50 meters of the green belt on the Kukrail riverbed, a protected area. Locals feared that demolitions would soon follow.
Some residents pasted copies of house and land registry papers along with bank loan details, electricity bills, house tax, etc. outside their homes, asking what more was required to prove their homes were legal. Placards reading ‘Save our Shelter’ were also seen in the locality, which is home to more than 20,000 people. After the uproar, U.P. CM Yogi Adityanath met residents of Rahim Nagar, Pant Nagar, and Indraprastha Nagar, emphasising that there was no justification for marking homes and alleviating fears of demolition.
