A Roof of Hope on reclaimed Mafia’s Land

Justice does not merely mean removing encroachments; it also means putting the land to its true social purpose. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath’s initiative to provide housing to the poor on land reclaimed from the mafia is an effort to establish this very principle in public life.

The real test of power in a democracy is not how many powers it possesses, but how it uses those powers in the interests of the weakest sections of society. When the land, livelihood and future of a poor person’s family become insecure in the face of the influence of a strongman, the challenge is no longer limited to illegal encroachment. The credibility of the rule of law itself is at stake. In such circumstances, justice does not merely mean removing encroachments; it also means putting the land to its true social purpose. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath’s initiative to provide housing to the poor on land reclaimed from the mafia is an effort to establish this very principle in public life.

This is not merely a change in the use of land. It is a clear indication of the government’s priorities and the purpose for which the power of the state is exercised. In Prayagraj’s Lukerganj area, 76 flats were built on land linked to mafia figure Atiq Ahmed. In Lucknow’s Dalibagh, 72 EWS flats were constructed on land linked to mafia figure Mukhtar Ansari. Now, a project to build 602 homes on Atiq’s land in Kasari-Masari, Prayagraj, has been proposed, with the Bhoomi Pujan ceremony for Padmlok Apartments scheduled for October 15. All these initiatives convey a single message: the land that was once under the shadow of Bahubal and illegal encroachment will now provide shelter to poor families. For the poor, land is not merely a piece of soil; it is the foundation of family security, children’s........

© News9Live