Ansal API grabbed govt land, ponds, canal, allege FIRs
Complainant also alleges Ansal API employees often used to misbehave and threaten LDA employees and officials
: Ansal Properties and Infrastructure (API) Limited did not develop high-tech townships in Lucknow, Ghaziabad and Gautambuddhnagar properly as it did not provide power stations, Sewage Treatment Plants, tube wells and water tanks despite promising these facilities in its detailed project report (DPR), the complainant mentioned in the FIRs registered against the company on Tuesday.
It further stated that the developer got illegally transferred lands listed as government lands, ‘Chak Marg’ roads, gram samaj, barren, sealing, pond, canal and drain. They cheated buyers by selling around 411 acres of land mortgaged with Lucknow Development Authority illegally, according to the complainant. Their intention to cheat buyers was clear as they did not put up notices regarding it despite multiple reminders sent to the developers in this regard.
These facts were mentioned in detail in three FIRs lodged against Ansal API in Lucknow on Tuesday as well as at Ghaziabad’s Crossing Republic police station and Gautambuddhnagar’s Greater Noida police station on Wednesday.
Pointing a finger at the functioning of the company’s owners and directors, the FIRs alleged that the developers’ intention was to dupe investors since the beginning when they were granted permission to develop high-tech townships in 2005 and 2006.
These allegations in the FIR lodged by Lucknow Development Authority (LDA) also raise a question mark over its official and employees, who apparently turned a blind eye to the firm developing the township for over two decades till the present state government ordered action against the company.
Taking cognizance of homebuyers’ appeal, chief minister Yogi Adityanath had ordered registration of FIRs against Ansal API on Monday. During the ongoing budget session of the U.P. assembly, the chief minister on Tuesday announced that properties of the real estate group would be confiscated if it did not return its investors’ money. He also assured all help to the duped investors.
An FIR was lodged against Ansal API chairman Sushil Ansal, his son Pranav Ansal and four others, including director of the company Vinay Kumar Singh, Sunil Kumar Gupta, Francette Patrica Atkinson and M/s Ansal Property and Infra Limited, at Lucknow’s Gomti Nagar police station on Tuesday.
The FIR was lodged under nine sections of the Bhartiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), including 316 (dishonest misappropriation of property), 318 (cheating) and 61 (2) criminal conspiracy, along with Section 3 of the Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act 1984, on the complaint of LDA’s ‘amin’ Arpit Sharma.
In the FIR, the complainant also alleged Ansal API employees often used to misbehave and threaten LDA employees and officials when asked to follow norms.
They (the company employees) also used to frame innocent people, who used to raise their voice against fraudulent activities, the FIR said.
The FIR also said the developer owed the development authority ₹400 crore. It further stated that Ansal API High-Tech township was approved on May 21, 2005, on 1,765 acres on Sultanpur Road in Lucknow and its DPR was approved on May 22, 2006. Thereafter, the project was expanded to 3,530 acres on June 3, 2009, and the new DPR was approved on May 18, 2010. The final project spanning around 6,465 acres was approved on December 13, 2013, and its DPR was approved by the LDA on May 23, 2015.
However, under the new township policy of the state government, the project was cut down to 4,689.79 acres on December 16, 2021, and its DPR was approved on September 27, 2022. The DPR was handed over to the developer on April 13, 2023, on condition that it would carry out development work in the township. However, the developer failed to carry out the development work.