UP government junks Mulayam era industrial enclave

Virendra Singh Rawat

Lucknow / Mar 8, 2021

Uttar Pradesh has junked erstwhile Mulayam Singh Yadav government’s proposed yet comatose industrial enclave, Lucknow Industrial Development Authority (LIDA), to unlock its assets, mainly land.

The state government has merged LIDA with UP State Industrial Development Authority (UPSIDA) to implement stalled projects.

LIDA was constituted in July 2005 during the erstwhile Samajwadi Party (SP) regime headed by Yadav. Aimed at promoting industrial development in Central UP, LIDA was pitched as a counter magnet to the National Capital Region (NCR) and Noida region for attracting investment and generating employment.

Nearly 80 villages of Lucknow and adjoining Unnao districts were notified under LIDA for industrial development and allotment to investors. However, there was little progress under the Authority over the past 15 years spanning different party regimes.

Now, the state has approved the proposal to merge LIDA with UPSIDA with state additional chief secretary, industrial development, Arvind Kumar issuing the government notification. The merger transfers all the assets and liabilities vested with LIDA to UPSIDA, allowing it to prospectively manage its pending projects.

LIDA witnessed sluggish progress especially during the Mayawati dispensation (2007-12), although the state had proposed to acquire 2,000 acres along the Lucknow-Unnao highway in the first phase. LIDA also faced land acquisition hurdles even as the Authority tied up with the Housing and Urban Development Corporation Limited (HUDCO) for a loan of Rs 73 crore.

Over the past few years, the Authority was striving for revival with its Board clearing a Master Plan spanning 30,000 hectares in Lucknow and Unnao districts. The Master Plan had trifurcated LIDA notified areas into Township A, B and C viz. Township A as 'multifunctional' zone near Lucknow; Township B comprised a tourism zone around the Nawabganj bird sanctuary; and Township C was proposed to be an industrial zone in Unnao.

The notified land was proposed to comprise 26% residential, 21% industrial, 20% green, 16% transportation zone and the remaining for commercial and mixed land use. LIDA was also looking for a synergy with the Lucknow Master Plan and providing for a parallel railway cargo corridor with Bus Rapid Transit System (BRTS) for transportation.