The Lucknow Municipal Corporation (LMC) demolished around 100 lawyers’ chambers near the Qaiserbagh court area on Sunday, with nearly 100 more structures remaining on its list, as protests over the lack of alternative accommodation brought the demolition drive to a halt at one point.
The civic body identified 211 chambers during a demarcation exercise and launched the drive following High Court orders. Advocates protested against the removal of workplaces they said they had used for decades without arrangements for rehabilitation.
The demolition began around 10 am amid heavy police deployment on Rani Laxmibai Marg near the Residency crossing. LMC teams razed structures allegedly built on government land, drains and footpaths, extending the operation towards Balrampur Hospital. Personnel from the Lucknow Development Authority (LDA) and the Public Works Department (PWD) also joined the drive.
Tensions escalated around 12.35 pm when officials prepared to move towards the Balrampur Hospital stretch. Several advocates climbed onto bulldozers and lay down in front of the machinery, demanding alternative space before the remaining chambers were demolished.
Nine chambers spared after objections
{{/usCountry}}Nine chambers spared after objections
{{/usCountry}}LMC Zone 1 zonal officer Om Prakash said around 100 chambers had been demolished, while nearly 100 remained for further action. He said officials had received objections regarding around nine chambers and had spared them.
Additional Municipal Commissioner Pankaj Srivastava said the LMC had also identified around seven bighas of land near Gate 4 of the Qaiserbagh court where chambers allegedly encroach upon public land. Officials have collected the relevant records and will decide the next course of action in accordance with the court’s directions.
The latest drive follows two earlier operations in the area. The civic body demolished 72 structures on May 17 and another 71 on August 30, taking the total removed in those drives to 143. Further action against the remaining structures will depend on the court’s orders.
Lawyers question lack of rehabilitation
Avneesh Dixit, general secretary of the Central Bar Association, Lucknow, questioned the expansion of the list of structures facing demolition. He said the LMC had initially identified around 78 chambers but later marked 211 structures.
Dixit said many advocates had practised from these chambers for more than 20 years and questioned the failure to provide alternative workplaces. He also claimed the chambers did not obstruct traffic.
Advocate Deepak Singh said lawyers had approached the state government and other authorities for alternative accommodation. Citing Prayagraj, where authorities allegedly provided alternative space after removing chambers, he urged the government to consider similar arrangements in Lucknow.
Shopkeepers fear wider action
The drive has also raised concerns among shopkeepers whose properties have been marked by the LMC. Zeeshan, a shopkeeper, claimed officials had marked his shop despite it being freehold property under the LDA, adding that he possessed the relevant documents.
The dispute centres on the remaining identified structures, objections raised by occupants and demands for alternative accommodation.