Lucknow: Sahara Shaher in Gomtinagar is being vacated after the Supreme Court upheld the cancellation of its lease. Over the past five days, trucks and other vehicles have been moving items out of the township, including from ‘Swapna Kuti’, the residence of Swapna Roy, wife of late Sahara group chief Subrata Roy.Additional municipal commissioner Pankaj Srivastava said the Lucknow Municipal Corporation has asked Sahara management to vacate the entire campus. He added that once the process is complete, management staff will not be allowed to enter the site. The civic body took possession of the land on Oct 6 after the 30-year lease was cancelled and violations of conditions were found. Entry gates were sealed and security personnel were deployed.The Supreme Court on March 16 dismissed Sahara’s plea challenging the lease cancellation after the company failed to get relief from the high court. Municipal commissioner Gaurav Kumar said the ruling confirms that ownership of the land rests with the municipal corporation. The 170-acre land was allotted in 1994 to Sahara India Housing Limited to develop a residential colony, with 130 acres for housing and 40 acres as a green belt. A dispute over ownership also arose after Sahara listed the property among 88 assets attached by Sebi.State govt now plans to build a new Vidhan Bhavan on the site. LDA has been made the nodal agency and has begun the process of appointing a consultant to prepare the project report and design
