Lucknow: Bulldozers entered Anant Nagar along Mohan Road on December 10, tearing down boundary walls, gates, trees, and homes. The Lucknow Development Authority described the action as an anti encroachment drive linked to the Anant Nagar Housing Scheme. Residents described a sudden operation without individual written notices.
Families living in the area said land purchases took place between 2009 and 2011 through registered deeds. Many built houses over several years, paid taxes, and received electricity connections. Construction continued openly. Residents reported no stop work orders or public bans during this period.
Aruna Singh, a 53 year old resident, said families invested savings after completing legal registration. She remains a petitioner before the Allahabad High Court Lucknow bench, where a writ petition filed in August 2022 challenges land acquisition steps tied to the scheme. The case remains pending without a final ruling on ownership or eviction.
Residents said officials claimed surveys and newspaper notices. People living in the colony denied receiving personal communication. Police visits occurred two days before demolition, according to residents, followed by full scale clearance with senior officials present.
The demolition blocked internal passages and left debris across the colony. Families raised concerns over access for medical needs and daily movement. One resident, Neelam, died after prolonged stress, according to neighbours. Later checks showed her land lay outside the authority mandate.
The authority offered compensation around four hundred rupees per square foot for land. Residents compared this figure with scheme plot prices nearing five thousand rupees per square foot. No family accepted compensation. Residents seek rehabilitation, equivalent land, or permission to retain homes with layout changes.
