In a stern message to organised crime perpetrators, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said he would soon lay the foundation stone for houses for the poor under the Prime Minister Awas Yojna (PMAY) on land confiscated from jailed mafia don and former MP Atiq Ahmed in Prayagraj.
According to sources, the CM has directed officials to expedite the procedure so that the foundation-laying ceremony can take place as soon as possible.
At the Team - 9 meeting on October 22, 2021, Yogi also directed housing department officials to quickly develop a blueprint for building houses on the land (vacated from mafias and criminals) for homeless, government officials, lawyers, and journalists.
So far, the government has confiscated more than 1.5 acres of land from mafia and anti-social elements. The government has land available for such projects worth at least Rs 1,850 crore.
According to data provided by the revenue department, more than 1,544,249 acres of land have been freed as of August 15. The revenue department has 4,407 FIRs, 22,992 revenue suits, and 857 civil suits on file. In addition, 187 people have been sentenced to prison, and 2,464 have been identified as encroachers.
During the operation, 41 listed mafia properties were impounded, and 28 people's arm licences were revoked. Mukhtaar Ansari, Atiq Ahmed, and their aides own such properties. In September of this year, officials demolished Atiq's illegal structure on Chakia road in the Khuladabd area of Prayagraj. After demolition, the officials claimed to have freed up approximately 700 square metres of land. According to officials, the estimated cost of the land is Rs.30 crore. Similar operations were launched against Ansari and his aides in Mau and even Lucknow.
Following the demolition drive, the CM went one step further and announced that houses for the poor would be built on land liberated from the mafia. Officials at the Team - 9 meeting discussed the construction of houses under PMAY in Prayagraj on land freed from Ahmed. According to a government spokesperson, the tract of land for the purpose would be identified soon, and the foundations for the houses would be laid.
According to sources, it has also been decided that approximately 76 houses under the scheme will be built in a four-story apartment in Prayagraj. According to sources, the CM will perform the foundation laying ceremony once all formalities are completed.
The government spokesperson said, “The government is also preparing to build housing for its employees on land that was freed from the possession of the mafia like Mukhtar Ansari, Atiq Ahmed and Badan Singh Badoo. Work is also being carried out to build shelters for the poor on land freed by the government by demolishing illegal ‘havelis’ of the mafias.”
