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Encroachers’ Aadhaar cards show govt land as their address!

ByAnimesh Mishra
Jan 23, 2025 06:26 AM IST

Encroachers presented their Aadhaar cards listing the encroached area as their current address - ‘Jhopadi Dalibagh, Bahukhandi Mantri Awas and Dhenumati Apartment’, complicating the eviction process

LUCKNOW The issuance of Aadhaar cards to hundreds of people living on encroached government land near Balu Adda area, close to the 1090 intersection, has raised serious concerns over the verification process in the state capital. The issue came to fore when Team HT reached the spot on Wednesday where the Lucknow Development Authority (LDA) on January 18 conducted a demolition drive to get some portion of the area cleared to reclaim the entire land of around 2.59 lakh sq ft.

The LDA on January 18 conducted a demolition drive to get a part of the area near Balu Adda cleared to reclaim the entire land of around 2.59 lakh sq ft. (Sourced)
The LDA on January 18 conducted a demolition drive to get a part of the area near Balu Adda cleared to reclaim the entire land of around 2.59 lakh sq ft. (Sourced)

The encroachers presented their Aadhaar card listing the encroached area as their current address as ‘Jhopadi Dalibagh, Bahukhandi Mantri Awas and Dhenumati Apartment’, complicating the eviction process. The current episode has unearthed systemic flaws in Aadhaar’s verification process, especially in cases involving illegal encroachments or undocumented residents.

An official of the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) confirmed that Aadhaar cards can be issued with endorsements from any public representatives such as corporators, MPs, or MLAs, councillors and others without thorough address verification.

“Aadhaar is not an investigative agency. It relies on supporting documents/endorsements provided by applicants. However, this process is prone to misuse and poses significant security risks,” the official added.

However, if the authority receives any complaint about any individual using fake address, the authority issues a notice and asks him/her to provide supporting documents, he said.

Suraj Gangwar, an encroacher and small business owner, said: “We’ve been living here for 20 years. My entire family’s Aadhaar cards list this address. I recently started a furniture business here, but now I’m being forced to move everything back to a warehouse. This is unfair.”

Echoing similar views, another resident Sumit lamented: “We’ve had our home here for years and were never given any notice. Where are we supposed to go now? We don’t have any other home.”

LDA nazul officer Sanjay Singh confirmed that the land belongs to the government and has been embroiled in legal disputes for years. “The land was leased to a samiti for 90 years in 1987, but illegal encroachments have taken over. We are following the authorities’ directives and awaiting further orders from senior officials to proceed with the demolition of these structures,” he said.

The officer said the LDA plans to move forward with its efforts to reclaim the property. “This drive is essential to restore nazul land to its rightful use and prevent future encroachments,” he added.

To recall, even during the demolition drive at the erstwhile Akbar Nagar, residents presented Aadhaar cards and other documents showing the encroached land as their address, said an LDA official.

The recurring misuse of Aadhaar cards raises questions over the accountability in their issuance and the role of public representatives in enabling such documentation. Officials have urged the government to take immediate action to address these loopholes and ensure the integrity of public land and identity documents.

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