Illegal temporary shacks have started coming up inside parks and green belts developed by the Lucknow Development Authority (LDA) in Gomti Nagar Extension, raising fresh concerns over the encroachment of public spaces in one of the authority’s flagship residential townships.
A major encroachment recently surfaced near Rapti Apartment in Sector-4 of Gomti Nagar Extension. Along the road connecting the G20 Road to the apartment complex, over 20 temporary shacks have allegedly been set up on park land and adjoining authority space.
Residents said the settlement emerged rapidly over the past few weeks and continued expanding without any action on the ground. Though the LDA had installed grills in some areas to protect the spaces from encroachment, these parks have largely remained neglected.
Vikas Tiwari, a resident of Gomti Nagar Extension Sector-4, said that several parks meant for public use are either occupied illegally or remain inaccessible despite completion, while authorities have failed to monitor the sites regularly.
The issue has also exposed the poor upkeep of parks developed by the authority in the township, where large green belts and recreational spaces were planned for every sector and housing pocket.
In another case, a park located along the 900-meter road near the 1090 intersection has remained locked since its construction. Construction material continues to lie scattered on the walking tracks, while residents claim no official visits have taken place to inspect the site or make it functional for public use.
Another resident, Utkarsh Pandey of Gomti Nagar Extension Sector-5, alleged that the absence of surveillance and enforcement has encouraged the illegal occupation of open spaces in the area. Residents also linked the growing encroachments to civic issues, including malfunctioning streetlights in nearby stretches.
Officials of the Lucknow Municipal Corporation (LMC) said some people allegedly draw illegal electricity connections from streetlight wiring during the night, damaging the system and causing repeated outages in the locality.
LDA chief engineer Manvendra Singh acknowledged the complaints and said the authority would examine the matter and coordinate with concerned departments to address the issue.
“If such issues are arising, we will look into them and resolve them in coordination with the concerned officials,” he said, adding that the locked park near the 1090 intersection would also be opened for residents.
When HT tried to contact additional municipal commissioner Pankaj Srivastava regarding the issue of encroachment, he remained unavailable.
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