Devastating building fire in Lucknow brings development authority’s actions under scrutiny

Following the devastating fire incident in Aliganj, Lucknow, that killed 15 people, old records and actions taken by the development authority concerning the building have come under scrutiny. The building where the tragic fire broke out on Monday (June 22, 2026) had been issued a demolition order in 2016 over unauthorised construction. However, the order was revoked in less than two months.

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The building, numbered MS/102/D and located in Sector D of the Aliganj Scheme, was originally allotted on July 11, 1980, to Vijay Kumar, son of Rameshwar Sahay, under a hire-purchase scheme through a lottery system. After the execution of the agreement on November 4, 1980, possession of the property was handed over to the allottee. In 2005, the property was registered in the names of Vijay Kumar and his wife Usha through a sale deed.

Subsequently, on January 19, 2013, they sold the property to Virendra Pratap Shukla and Surendra Pratap Shukla. On August 7, 2014, the Lucknow Development Authority completed the mutation process in favor of Virendra and Surendra. The building, spread over approximately 1,992 square feet, received approval for a residential-use building plan on August 20, 2014, under the self-certification building plan scheme.

Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, accompanied with Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Brajesh Pathak, interacts with an injured victim during his visit to King George’s Medical University (KGMU) after a fire engulfed a three-story commercial building in Lucknow
| Photo Credit:
PTI

However, unauthorised construction was later found on the premises. The Lucknow Development Authority subsequently registered Case No. 08/2016 against Virendra Pratap Shukla. Following an investigation, the competent authority issued a demolition order against the unauthorised construction on May 10, 2016. However, within two months of the demolition order being issued, it was revoked on July 5, 2016.

The police registered an FIR after the incident under Sections 110, 105, 125 and 3(5) of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), along with Sections 6 and 10 of the Uttar Pradesh Fire Service Act.

The Uttar Pradesh government formed a two-member Special Investigation Team (SIT) to conduct a time-bound investigation into the fire incident. The SIT, comprising Amrit Abhijat, Additional Chief Secretary, Tourism, Religious, and Culture Department, and Praveen Kumar, Additional Director General of Police (ADG), Lucknow Zone, has been instructed to submit its report within seven days.