Houses in Kukrail ‘green belt’ marked in red triggers panic

Residents in Lucknow face fear of demolition as houses near Kukrail riverbed marked 'red' by Irrigation Department.

After officials of the Irrigation Department put ‘red marks’ on many houses located in Pantnagar, Rahim Nagar and Abrar Nagar localities in Lucknow, all within 50 meters of the ‘green belt’ on Kukrail riverbed, a protected area, fear of demolition gripped residents of the area. Some of them went as far as pasting copies of house and land registry papers, along with proof of bank loan, electricity bill, house tax etc., outside their house, asking what more documents were required to prove their house was legal.

The ‘red marks’ came on the heels of rejuvenation work commencing at the protected site.

“Registry of my house was completed in 1996. I took a bank loan with bank verifying papers, I am paying my electricity bill and other taxes. Suddenly, the house is marked in red, saying that our house is in the green belt of the Kukrail river’s floodplain,” said Vishal Pandey, a resident of Pant Nagar. Children from some of the houses in the area had already prepared placards reading, ‘Save our Shelter’.

The Lucknow Development Authority (LDA) said that the ‘red marks’ were put by the Irrigation Department to depict the limits of the Kukrail river floodplain, adding that further action would be taken as per the orders of senior officials.

“Demarcation is done by the Irrigation Department; any further notice or action is taken as per orders of senior officials,” said Gyanendra Verma, additional secretary of LDA.