Market complex owned by gangster razed
PRAYAGRAJ, January 5 (HS): A team of Prayagraj Development Authority (PDA), district officials and police demolished a four-storey shopping complex, ‘Ganesh Market’ in main GT Road under Jhunsi police station of Prayagraj on Tuesday. The shopping complex is allegedly constructed and owned by gangster Ganesh Yadav. Over three dozen shop owners vacated their shops in a hurry prior to commencement of demolition drive. Prayagraj Development Authority (PDA) zonal officer Sat Shukla said, “The shopping complex had been constructed on a 1500 square metre area without getting a map sanctioned by the civic agency. The cost of the complex is estimated to be around worth crores of rupees.”
He further added that the demolition work started after compilation of the records and orders. He said that the demolition drive was conducted by a joint team of Prayagraj Development Authority, administrative officials and the police. The team was accompanied by heavy police force along with para-military personnel and representatives of the district administration. The area was barricaded, and all routes leading to Yadav’s house was blocked before the drive was started. The clampdown is being carried out chiefly under Section 14(1) of the Gangsters Act, which allows attachment of illegal properties, in order to effectively curb gangsters, mafias and criminals and their associates, the officials said. Heavy police ‘bandobast’ was made to deal with any protest or disruption, officials said.
A week ago, officials had demolished an illegal house owned by history-sheeter Ganesh Yadav in Jhunsi area. Yadav has dozens of cases registered against him in several police stations of the district including Jhunsi and Sarai Inayat. “This is the 42nd demolition drive undertaken by PDA,” said zonal officer Sat Shukla. “We have inputs that the land, on which the market was constructed could be illegal and have started a probe. If the land does not belong to Yadav, it would be reinstated to its actual owner. If the property belonged to Yadav, it could be attached under the provisions of Gangster Act,” said Shukla.
The action against land mafias, hardened criminals and gangsters will go on against all the men on radar to check organized crime, said a senior cop. “We want to break the financial backbone of these criminals. Though they are in jail, they are running their empires from inside. Thus, all sources of ill-gotten wealth, as well as property that it has been channeled into, will be targeted,” said a district administration official while speaking to HS.
