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Atiq’s former stronghold to be renamed, developed as Shrikrishnapuri: UP CM Yogi
UP CM Yogi Adityanath says Prayagraj’s former Atiq Ahmad stronghold will be renamed Shrikrishnapuri, with homes for 1,200 poor families.
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Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath on Thursday announced that Prayagraj’s Kasari-Masari, once considered a stronghold of slain gangster-politician Atiq Ahmad, would be renamed ‘Shrikrishnapuri’, with houses for 1,200 poor families coming up on land freed from the Mafioso.
The Prayagraj Development Authority will develop the proposed multi-storey township. Yogi made the announcement after performing the ‘Bhoomi Pujan’ of the Padma Lok Apartment project, a multi-storey residential complex being developed on reclaimed government land in Prayagraj.
Under the UP government’s drive to reclaim land from mafias and provide housing to the poor, 602 families in Kasari-Masari would receive houses in the first phase and another 598 in the second phase, the CM said.
The land where the project is coming up had been encroached upon by Atiq Ahmad. Addressing a public gathering, he accused previous governments of surrendering before mafia elements and asserted that his government had adopted a zero-tolerance policy against crime and mafias. He also distributed symbolic keys to some beneficiaries under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana.
Adityanath said wherever Atiq and his brother Ashraf wanted, the land effectively became theirs, while the previous governments bowed before them.
He said his government adopted a zero-tolerance policy towards mafias and criminals from the very beginning and asserted that Uttar Pradesh was moving towards becoming mafia-free. Recalling the daylight murder of former BSP MLA Raju Pal, he said the government in power at the time had failed to act against the mafia.
Targeting the Samajwadi Party, Yogi said the party stood with criminals and mafias, while the BJP stood for development.
Warning criminal elements, the chief minister said anyone attempting to revive mafia activities should be prepared to face strict action. The CM said areas where even police vehicles hesitated to enter in the past had witnessed major changes under the current government.
Atiq Ahmad and his brother Ashraf were killed by three men posing as journalists in the middle of a media interaction on the night of April 15, 2023, while police personnel were escorting them for a court-mandated medical check-up in a Prayagraj hospital.
