LUCKNOW, May 3 -- Lucknow Development Authority (LDA) inking its first agreement under the land pooling policy with a farmer from Chaurasi village on Friday marked the formal start of its much-awaited Wellness City project on Sultanpur Road in the state capital. Vice-chairman, LDA, Prathamesh Kumar handed over the agreement deed to Devang Rastogi, the first landowner to join the scheme, at the authority's office. Rastogi voluntarily offered his 1.5-acre land for the project. In return, under the land pooling policy, he will receive 25 percent of the land as a developed residential plot without any cost. "This marks a strong beginning for Wellness City. We are ensuring that landowners benefit directly through developed plots," the LDA V-C said. Spread over 1,197.98 acres near Sultanpur Road and Kisan Path, Wellness City is envisioned as a comprehensive Medi City. The scheme will feature a super-specialty hospital, medical college, diagnostic centres and a Vipassana centre among other facilities. Officials confirmed that the Aminabad medicine market will also be shifted to Wellness City, which will also have over 3,000 residential plots. So, LDA also plans to develop separate commercial plots to accommodate the Aminabad medicine market. The township will be developed in seven sectors, with roads ranging between 60 and 24 metres in width to ensure smooth traffic flow. Joint secretary Sushil Pratap Singh said similar interest is now visible for the Authority's IT City project proposed across 1,696.77 acres on Sultanpur Road. "We have already received applications from 27 landowners for both schemes. These proposals can help us acquire nearly 390 bighas of land," he said....