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Yogi promises stern action against officials involved in marking of houses
Last week, residents of these colonies were shocked when a team from the irrigation department arrived unannounced and marked houses with red paint, indicating that they were illegal.
LUCKNOW: Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Tuesday hinted at a probe to uncover the mystery surrounding the survey of houses along the Kukrail river, which caused panic among the residents of the area.
“Who ordered the survey of houses?” asked the chief minister CM at the meeting with senior officials and a delegation of residents from Pant Nagar, Rahim Nagar, and Khurram Nagar.
Last week, residents of these colonies were shocked when a team from the irrigation department arrived unannounced and marked houses with red paint, indicating that they were illegal.
Before the situation could spiral out of control, chief minister Yogi Adityanath stepped in on Tuesday to salvage the situation by talking of a probe against overzealous officials who ordered the survey of Pant Nagar, Rahim Nagar, and Khurram Nagar.
According to senior officials of the state government, the irrigation department had prepared a report that added fuel to the fire.
“After the demolition of illegal houses in Akbar Nagar, some officials overstepped their brief. Without taking approval from the chief minister’s office, they carried out a survey of the three colonies and even marked houses with red paint, instilling fear among residents,” said a senior state government official.
In its recent survey report, the irrigation department stated that any kind of construction, commercial activity, and lease auction up to 50 metres from both sides of the Kukrail riverbed is illegal. “Fifty metres on both sides of the Kukrail river needs to be encroachment-free,” the report emphasised.
The report stated that since the entire Kukrail riverbed was in the floodplain zone, “no construction” was allowed there, and the authorities concerned would take action to make it encroachment-free. However, no official from the irrigation department has come on record to say anything about the survey report dated June 14, 2024, which led to the marking of houses allegedly in the floodplain zone in Abrar Nagar, Pant Nagar, and Rahim Nagar.
