E-Paper
Bulldozers back in action to reclaim Kukrail riverbed
According to an official note, Akbar Nagar was set up by land mafias who bypassed environmental standards during the Samajwadi Party government
Bulldozers were back in action in Akbar Nagar as the state government resumed a drive to remove encroachments between the Kukrail riverbed and a dam, on Monday. The demolition exercise was taken up after a gap of about three months.
According to an official communique, Akbar Nagar was set up by land mafias who bypassed environmental standards during the Samajwadi Party (SP) government. “They (land mafias) got protection during the SP government, and built multi-storey buildings and showrooms on the Kukrail riverbank between 2012 and 2017. The land mafias also set up illegal colonies based on forged documents,” the note read.
LDA ‘identified’ 73 ‘millionaire’ slum-dwellers
The government further blamed the previous regime for giving space to ‘millionaire’ slum-dwellers in Akbar Nagar. “Today, these lands are occupied by millionaires. Scared by the action of the Yogi government, they tried to mislead the court by presenting the wrong documents. The Yogi government exposed their lies in the lower court as well as the Supreme Court,” the statement read.
The LDA had submitted a list of 73 ‘millionaire’ land encroachers to the court, it read, adding that the court too did not consider them as slum dwellers after this.
According to the government, the action to remove the illegal constructions in Akbar Nagar started in December 2023. “During this, the encroachers protested at the behest of the land mafia. Even after this, the government remained firm and the action continued. In November 2023, the government ordered the demolition of 1,068 illegal residential and 101 commercial constructions of Akbar Nagar,” read the statement from the government.
