LUCKNOW, May 31 -- Allottees who paid for plots but never received possession from the Lucknow Development Authority (LDA) can benefit from a policy offering flats in exchange, officials said. The deposited amount, along with accrued interest, will be adjusted towards the cost of the flat, they added. This new policy was introduced after the LDA discontinued its plot-to-plot exchange policy in 2023, citing limited availability of vacant land. Under the new policy, the LDA uses a formula to calculate the adjusted value of the allotted plot, the interest accrued over time, and the cost of constructing a flat. Based on this calculation, the allottee is required to pay only the balance amount, which officials say could be up to 38-40% less than the actual market value of the flat. So far, the LDA has completed only around 10 such adjustments, with flats located in high-rise housing projects in areas such as Gomti Nagar, Gomti Nagar Extension, Sharda Nagar, and Mansarovar schemes among others. According to LDA vice-chairman Prathamesh Kumar, although the board had approved the policy in the 2023 meeting, it was not implemented the way it could have. "We have now streamlined the process through a standard operating procedure (SOP)," he said. The allottees no longer receive a plot in exchange for another. Instead, they would have two options: either a flat or a refund of the amount with interest, he added. A senior LDA official said the initiative was aimed at resolving long-standing grievances of allottees who paid for plots but never got possession, often due to land disputes or failure to acquire the land. "We want more people to come forward and benefit from this policy. Many people don't know that this option is available and they are still waiting for a plot-to-plot exchange, which is no longer available," the official said. He further stated that choosing the flat option could save an allottee around 40% on the cost, compared to buying a new one. The alternative is a full refund with interest, which is also available under the revised policy, he added. Some allottees have been waiting for decades to get possession of their plots, often due to cases being stuck in litigation. Despite the policy, several such disputes remain unresolved. According to the official, current pending cases include 37 in Kanpur Road scheme, 30 in Mansarovar scheme, 30 in Gomti Nagar and Gomti Nagar Extension combined, and five each in Aliganj Sector-4 and Sitapur Road schemes. "Instead of leaving people in legal limbo, we are offering a practical solution: either take a ready-to-move-in flat or get your money back with interest," the official said. Before 2023, LDA allowed plot-to-plot adjustments. However, with shrinking land availability and lack of clarity in some cases, the board decided to revise the policy. "The last such plot adjustment happened following a court order in 2023," the official recalled. "Some allottees still demand a plot instead of a flat, even when LDA has discontinued the policy," the official said, adding the allottees move court to seek adjustments in their favour."...