Maya moves SC against Sahara

NEW DELHI: The Uttar Pradesh (UP) government moved the supreme court (SC) on Friday against a high court (HC) order stopping the demolition of Sahara Sahar, a commercial complex in Lucknow owned by chief minister Mayawati’s bete noire Mulayam Singh’s friend Subroto Roy.

The apex court refused to stay the HC order but agreed to hear the government plea next week.

The high court had stalled the midnight demolition by Lucknow Development Authority (LDA) on Thursday on Sahara’s plea.

This is the second time in a fortnight that the HC order on Sahara has been challenged in the supreme court.

LDA denied Sahara’s allegation that it was not served a notice before. Defending the demolition, it said the entire construction on the 270 acres of Sahara Shahar was illegal and done without getting the building plan approved from a competent authority.

“On June 13, two representatives of Sahara admitted before the LDA vice-chairman encroaching upon the 30-metre-wide road provided in the master plan,” LDA claimed. It said Sahara was repeatedly warned to remove the encroachment.
Sahara’s counsel, however, said LDA had demolished boundary walls, a watchtower, an auditorium, portion of a hospital and the approach to Jal Mahal to extend Mayawati’s pet project Ambedkar Park.

b_rakesh@dnaindia.net