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Bulldozers go guns blazing; all houses vacated at Akbar Nagar-I
Authorities in Akbar Nagar continued aggressive demolition efforts, vacating residents and knocking down illegal structures with the help of 30 earthmovers and 60 heavy vehicles. Demolitions expected to last 3-4 more days, with mosques to be razed last.
On the second day of a demolition drive in Akbar Nagar, authorities doubled down on their efforts to knock down more encroachments even as they continued to aggressively vacate residents on Tuesday.
While the 45 structures at Akbar Nagar-I razed on Monday faced main roads, 105 buildings that saw bulldozers’ wrath a day later were in the narrow lanes.
In the presence of a large posse of police personnel guarding every nook and corner of the illegal settlement, deputy commissioner of police (Central) Raveena Tyagi was herself trying to convince residents to vacate.
While 30 earthmovers were deployed at the site, 60 heavy vehicles provided by authorities helped the residents to relocate, according to a note.
Among other senior officials present at the site were Lucknow Development Authority vice-chairman Indramani Tripathi and municipal chief Inderjit Singh.
By the evening, all houses at Akbar Nagar-I had been vacated even as bulldozers and earthmovers continued to penetrate deeper into the bylanes.
Demolitions at Akbar Nagar-I to go on for 3-4 more days
Meanwhile, officials said it would take another three to four days to bring down all illegal buildings in Akbar Nagar-I, which falls on the left side of the stretch from Lekhraj to Badshahnagar.
“In the next three to four days, demolitions on the left side of the road connecting Lekhraj to Badshahnagar will be completed,” said Tripathi. “Post that, beautification of the site will be taken up.”
Gyanendra Verma, LDA additional secretary, said the debris would be relocated in just two to three days.
Mosques to be razed in the end
The two mosques in the bylanes of Akbar Nagar-I may be the last to be brought down. For now, they were left untouched even as demolitions around them continued. “It is a sensitive matter. As people are still vacating their houses, razing the mosques may escalate the situation,” said a senior officer at the site wishing not to be named. “It will be razed when the entire area has been vacated,” he added.
