PRAYAGRAJ, Nov. 16 -- The land in the Allahabad West assembly constituency of Prayagraj that was until recently under the illegal possession of gangster-turned-politician Atiq Ahmed's aides will now be used for the construction of key government buildings, including offices of the GST department, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and a women's hostel. District magistrate Manish Kumar Verma has directed SDM (Sadar) Abhishek Kumar Singh to submit proposals based on the land requirements forwarded by various departments. A total of 38 bighas of land in Mauja Naseerpur, under the Airport police station area, was recently freed from encroachment. Valued at nearly Rs.80 crore, the land had been occupied for years by Atiq's men under the pretext of agricultural use and was never vacated. The eviction drive was carried out recently by SDM Abhishek Kumar Singh, restoring the land to the administration. DM Verma said the land has now been registered under the gram sabha's account. "It will be allocated to departments as per their official proposals. Several departments have already approached the district administration seeking plots," he added. The freed land falls in a prime location, especially after the recent road-widening projects and increasing settlement in the western part of the city, significantly raising its demand. The state tax department (GST) has requested land for its office and warehouse, while the women and child development department has sought land for establishing a working women's hostel as instructed by the government. The ED has also asked for land to set up its regional office, district officials said....