Prayagraj (Uttar Pradesh): A joint team of the Prayagraj Development Authority (PDA), district administration and police, demolished a house belonging to former parliamentarian Atiq Ahmed here as part of its drive against the jailed mafia don’s unauthorized properties.
According to PDA officials, the house on Chakia Road in Khuldabad was worth Rs 30 crore and was built illegally on around 700 square metre of land.
The officials carried out the demolition till late Tuesday amid tight security.
Ateeq Ahmad is presently lodged in Sabarmati jail in Ahmedabad.
The authorities on Sunday razed a portion of the former MP’s office building at Khuldabad’s Karbala area.
“Prayagraj Development Authority took cognizance of the fact that this house of mafia don-turned politician Atiq Ahmad was built illegally. A joint team of PDA, police and district administration has demolished the house on Tuesday,” PDA officer Alok Pandey said on Wednesday.
He said that the PDA’s demolition squad started razing the illegal house on Tuesday afternoon and the work continued till late in the evening.
He also added that the entire four bigha land would be attached by the PDA.
While carrying out the demolition, the officials of the joint team had to face stiff resistance from a group of lawyers and the former lawmaker’s supporters who raised objection over the exercise and created ruckus on the Chakia Road.
However, senior police and administrative officials managed to handle the situation and deployed adequate police force in Chakia and adjoining areas before starting the demolition work.
Teams of the fire brigade and PAC battalions were deployed during the demolition drive.
A senior PDA official said a total of four JCBs were pressed into service to raze the structure.
Several properties of mafia dons, including Mukhtar Ansari and Ateeq Ahmad, have been razed by the state government in recent weeks in multiple locations across several districts.
