LUCKNOW, Nov. 6 -- Same locality, same address, new residents - the 2,314-square-metre plot in Lucknow's posh Dalibagh area has undergone a dramatic transformation: from a don's kothi to flats for 72 families from the Economically Weaker Section (EWS). Once associated with mafia-turned-politician the late Mukhtar Ansari, the land now stands as a symbol of change and rehabilitation. The Lucknow Development Authority (LDA) has completed construction of three residential towers on the reclaimed property, converting what was once the stronghold of the Ansari family into a new address for low-income beneficiaries. Officials said the plot earlier had two watchtowers and accommodation for Ansari's aides. It was used for parking vehicles and holding meetings. After the state government initiated action against illegally occupied properties linked to the Ansari family, the LDA took possession of the land and decided to develop affordable housing for weaker-section beneficiaries, making it one of the few EWS projects located in such a prime locality of the city. The site now houses three residential blocks named Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel EWS Apartments. Of these, Towers A and B, comprising 56 flats, have been completed, while construction work on Tower C, which has 16 units, is nearing completion. Each flat, measuring 36.65 square metres, has been allotted at a price of Rs.10.70 lakh. Chief minister Yogi Adityanath on Wednesday distributed the allotment letters to 72 EWS beneficiaries, for whom the allotment marks the end of a long struggle for affordable housing in the city. "I want to thank chief minister Yogi Adityanath for giving such an opportunity and thinking about people like us," said Sachin Kumar Singh, an allottee from Ballia district, who works in a private company in Lucknow. "Owning a home in such a prime location was something I could never imagine," he added. HTC...