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After HC takes note, Housing Board sends notices to residents over business activities in residential area
The Housing Board had served sealing notice to one Naushaba Khatoon, a resident of Indira Nagar, for carrying out commercial activity from a residential area.
LUCKNOW The Housing Board has started sending sealing notices to commercial establishments running from residential areas in Indira Nagar after the owner of a commercial establishment approached the high court regarding the matter.
The Housing Board had served sealing notice to one Naushaba Khatoon, a resident of Indira Nagar, for carrying out commercial activity from a residential area. Thereafter, Khatoon filed a writ petition in the high court accusing the Housing Board of selectively targeting her while turning a blind eye to other commercial establishments running from residential areas.
A division bench of Justice Alok Mathur and Justice Jyotsna Sharma heard the petition on June 6 and summoned the chief engineer of the Housing Board the next day. Appearing before the court, the chief engineer of the Housing Board on June 7 apprised the HC bench that sealing notices were being regularly sent to those running commercial establishments from residential areas in Indira Nagar.
He also apprised the court that further action against such illegal activities could not be carried out due to the non-availability of the police force. On this, the court also sought a response from the commissioner of police, Lucknow, as to why the police force was not being made available to the Housing Board for carrying out the demolition of illegal structures.
The court also directed the chief engineer to place before it all decisions taken by the Housing Board in the last six months related to issuing sealing notices. The court also asked the housing board that in how many cases final orders were passed and complied. The court has fixed July 13 as the next date of the hearing.
Over 1,000 sealing notices issued
The Housing Board has issued more than 1,000 sealing notices to those carrying out commercial activities from residential areas in Indira Nagar. The Housing Board has also sealed some shops. The Adarsh Vyapar Mandal is spearheading the agitation on behalf of traders of Indira Nagar and opposing the Housing Board’s action.
