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Locals protest as LDA team fells trees for housing scheme
Locals in Pyarepur protested LDA's tree felling for a housing scheme, claiming lack of consent and unresolved compensation issues. Police were called in.
Locals in Pyarepur village near here on Saturday protested Lucknow Development Authority (LDA) officials’ move to fell trees as part of land acquisition for the authority’s Anant Nagar housing scheme, officials said.
On Saturday, an LDA team went to the rural pocket and was said to have axed several trees there. This was met with strong objection from the locals, who alleged that it was carried out without their consent and without adequate compensation.
According to an LDA official present at the site, who spoke to this reporter on the condition of anonymity, more than 70 grown trees were felled on the instructions of senior officials.
Farmers reportedly claimed that several landowners in the village neither accepted any compensation nor had agreed to hand over their land. They alleged that the authority was forcefully acquiring land parcels despite unresolved compensation issues, particularly related to trees standing on acquired land.
As the standoff intensified, the LDA team called for a police backup. Police personnel remained deployed in the area until the situation was brought under control.
Under the Anant Nagar scheme, LDA has acquired land in Kaliakheda and Pyarepur villages. The authority maintains that compensation has already been released and that development and public utility works were progressing rapidly.
Responding to the allegations, LDA joint secretary Sushil Pratap Singh said a survey, done by revenue, forest and LDA teams in the presence of farmers, had taken the trees into account, and compensation was released accordingly. “On Saturday, some farmers attempted to disrupt development work by claiming that compensation for certain trees was pending. The authority has assured farmers that if any trees were missed during the earlier survey, a fresh assessment will be conducted and compensation paid per rules,” he added.
