Kanji House illegally occupied by LMC official, civic body assures probe
The revenue inspector allegedly converted the cattle shelter into her house after being allowed to use it as a workspace initially and held on to the premises even after her transfer, failing to respond to LMC notice
: After allegations surfaced about a Lucknow Municipal Corporation (LMC) revenue inspector illegally occupying a kanji house (cattle shelter) in the state capital’s Ismail Ganj area for over a year, the civic authorities said the matter will be investigated.
The revenue inspector allegedly converted it into her house after being allowed to use it as a workspace initially, civic officials said.
Even as the alleged illegal occupancy led to the closure of the stray cattle shelter, the revenue inspector reportedly did not respond to notices sent by the animal husbandry wing of the LMC for encroaching on the place and continued to use it as her house.
LMC’s zone 4 incharge Sanjay Yadav confirmed that the revenue inspector is currently posted in his zone.
“She initially occupied the place when (she was) allowed to use it as the workspace when posted in the cattle catching wing of the animal husbandry department of the LMC, but she continues to occupy the space even after being transferred from the animal husbandry wing,” an LMC official said.
Municipal commissioner Gaurav Kumar said that the matter will be investigated.
“Strict action will be taken against anyone found involved in illegally occupying the space meant for shelter of stray cattle,” he assured.
Seema Singh, the revenue inspector in question, did not answer calls even after being approached multiple times to get her version vis a vis the allegations.
Local corporator Shailendra Verma had raised a question in the LMC house held in 2024. At that time too, but LMC officials said an investigation would be launched but the probe is yet to be conducted.
An official LMC notice dated September 9, 2024, accessed by Hindustan Times, states that the officer Seema Singh has not yet vacated the Kanji House, which remains under her unauthorised occupation. The letter directs her to immediately hand over possession so that operations can begin at the Ismail Ganj Kanji House.
LMC’s animal husbandry department issued two notices directing the official to vacate the shelter, with the last notice sent on September 9, 2024.
However, no action has been taken till date. “The shelter is completely shut down. No cattle have been brought here for over a year and the official continues to reside there without permission,” said an LMC officer.
HT visited the shelter on Wednesday at around 2pm and found its gates locked during the daytime. An air-conditioner was installed in one room and a cow was seen tied inside. The premises are located opposite the high court along Ayodhya Road (Faizabad Road).
LMC chief finance officer (CFO) Nandram Kureel said if the municipal corporation is operating the Kanji House, the electricity bill payments are done by the corporation.
He was unable to answer a question about the dues for the last several months and why the LMC continued to pay the bill when the Kanji House was not even functional and was illegally occupied by an official.
Eyewitnesses in the area confirmed that a woman comes to stay there in the evenings, and the premises appear residential with no animals being brought here.
The shelter’s closure has allegedly hampered the LMC’s cattle-catching operations in Indira Nagar and nearby areas.
“This location is strategically important due to its connectivity and space. Its closure has burdened other functional shelters in the city,” said the official.
An LMC official said that out of seven original Kanji Houses operated by the LMC, only four are currently functional at PGI, Aishbagh, Alambagh and Thakurganj. The others have shut due to encroachments, infrastructure changes, or road widening. The Ismail Ganj shelter is among the three that are now defunct. The Alam Nagar facility was closed due to a flyover that narrowed the approach lane, while the Khadra facility was demolished during a road expansion project.
Despite the Ismail Ganj shelter being non-operational, the LMC had previously posted a class four employee there for several months, incurring a salary expense without any work being performed.
“We later pulled him back to animal husbandry department of LMC after realizing there was no purpose left with the shelter under illegal occupation,” said the official.
According to LMC sources, the inspector was earlier posted with the Animal Husbandry department, during which she was allotted an office room at the Ismailganj Kanji House. Instead of vacating the premises after her transfer to Zone 7 in tax department in February 2024, she converted the office into her residence, a move that violates LMC rules.