The sale and purchase of land in Phase 1 of the Lucknow Development Authority’s (LDA) proposed IT City and Wellness City projects on Sultanpur Road have been officially prohibited following gazette notification by the state government. The move is aimed at curbing land speculation and ensuring that benefits under the authority’s land pooling scheme are available only to original landowners, senior officials said.
A senior LDA official said the two schemes have entered the Section 11 stage. Landowners can file objections within 60 days of the gazette notification, following which the district magistrate will hear and decide on them.
Officials said the government has notified the project areas under Section 11 of the land acquisition provisions, making any land transaction in the notified zones illegal without prior permission from the district collector. The restriction came into effect immediately after publication of the notification in the official gazette.
The decision assumes significance as LDA prepares to implement land pooling and initiate the next phase of development in the two mega projects. Senior officials said the authority had observed growing interest from investors and land aggregators seeking to purchase agricultural land in anticipation of receiving developed plots under the pooling scheme.
“The land pooling process will continue, but only those whose names already exist in revenue records will be eligible. No one can now purchase land and claim benefits under Phase 1 of either scheme that has been notified,” an LDA official said.
Under the first phase of the IT City project, the notification which was sent for publication in the official gazette on Friday covers around 686.66 hectares across Sonai Kanjehra, Sikandarpur Amolia, Siddhpura, Parehta, Paharnagar Tikaria, Rakibabad, Bakkas, Mohari Khurd, Khujauli and Bhatwara villages. Officials said LDA has already secured possession of a significant portion of the land and currently controls nearly 1,400 acres within the larger project area.
The proposed IT City spans nearly 3,646 acres, including government land. Officials indicated that the lottery for plots in the project is likely to be conducted in the last week of June.
Similarly, the first phase of the Wellness City project covers approximately 1,197.98 acres across Bakkas, Chaurasi, Chaurahia, Malukpur Dhakhwa, Noorpur Behta, Mastemau and Dularamau villages.
Officials said the move would curb speculative buying, prevent artificial inflation of land prices and protect the interests of genuine landowners. The notification also rules out the possibility of outside investors entering the notified area at the last minute to secure a share of developed plots under the land pooling policy.
