Lucknow LDA unearths Rs 1 Bn land scam

The Lucknow Development Authority (LDA) has revealed a scam amounting to Rs 1 billion related to the illegal allotment of a substantial piece of land to a private developer in the Gomtinagar Extension scheme in exchange for land within the Gomti River's catchment area. An inquiry led by LDA Vice-Chairperson Indramani Tripathi has exposed the fraudulent practices. The investigation traced back to 2000 when the LDA began acquiring land for the Shaheed Path and Gomtinagar expansion schemes in various villages. However, a 6,070 square meter parcel of land in Maleshemau village, located near Shaheed Path, was excluded from the acquisition due to its location within the Gomti catchment area. The inquiry report made public on Monday, unveiled that the land's ownership was falsely claimed in 2006 by a local resident, who subsequently sold it to a developer through a registered deed. In October 2006, one of the developer's partners submitted an application to the LDA, asserting that the land in question had been acquired by the Authority for its two schemes and requested the allotment of undeveloped land of the same size in exchange. Taking note of the application, certain LDA employees deceptively included the land in the acquisitions made for the two schemes. Consequently, on January 12, 2007, the LDA allocated 6,070 square meters of undeveloped land in Sector-4 of the Gomtinagar Extension scheme to the builder. Further investigations revealed that on May 8, 2015, the LDA approved the land registry, and the firm paid approximately Rs 8.5 million as external development fees. In response to the revelations, the LDA Vice-Chairperson stated, An inquiry was initiated which exposed the scam. The allocation of the land has been revoked. We will recommend the matter to the state government for further probe.