LDA demolishes illegal under-construction hotel in Gomti Nagar

HT Correspondentlkoreportersdesk@htlive.com

HT Correspondent
lkoreportersdesk@htlive.com

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The Lucknow Development Authority (LDA) demolished an illegal under-construction hotel in Gomti Nagar’s Vijayant Khand on Friday after the Lucknow bench of the Allahabad high court ordered the development authority to do so.

According to LDA, the hotel was being constructed on a residential plot in violation of norms of the development authority, said officials.

“The under-construction hotel has been demolished and we will make sure that no illegal construction work is carried out at the site,” said Prabhu N Singh, vice-chairman, LDA.

About a year ago, NRI couple Dr Om P Singh and his wife Kalpana Singh wrote a letter to the LDA complaining about the hotel being constructed on a residential plot next to their house. They live in the US and come to Lucknow often on a vacation. In their absence, caretakers look after the house.

On June 16, the LDA had partially razed the building.

Kalpana Singh had also filed a writ petition in high court in 2017 seeking demolition of the illegal hotel.

Hearing the petition on August 28, a division bench of Justice Pankaj Kumar Jaiswal and Justice Jaspreet Singh ordered the LDA to demolish the illegal hotel.

The court also directed LDA vice-chairman Prabhu N Singh to file a detailed affidavit explaining why the illegal hotel was not demolished when demolition order was passed on April 18, 2017. The case will come up for hearing on September 4.

As part of its drive to check illegal constructions, the LDA seals such buildings across the city. However, it often faces flak over overlooking construction activity even in buildings sealed by it.

Recently, the high court reprimanded the LDA when a writ petition came before it detailing about construction work even in an illegal building sealed by it.

LDA V-C Prabhu N Singh has sought a list of all illegal buildings sealed by the development authority.