LUCKNOW, Oct. 9 -- The district administration here will make a concerted effort to reclaim encroached land under all flyovers in the state capital. Government departments, including the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), Bridge Corporation, LMC, police and public works, will work with district authorities for the purpose. District magistrate Vishak G said, "There are several flyovers in the district that have come up over the years in a bid to decongest traffic. Unfortunately, the space under the flyovers has been encroached upon and, in some cases, settlements have come up. We want to reclaim those big chunks of land and use them for other purposes." For instance, vegetable/fruit markets have come up under the Nishatganj flyover. Similar markets have come up on either side of the railway track under the Gomti Nagar flyover. The flyover that connects Hussainganj to Rajendra Nagar is also getting encouraged by shopkeepers on either side of the road. A few street vendors have set open their carts at Lal Kuan crossing. Sadar flyover is no different, where space under it has been encroached by illegal occupants, a district administration official said. "Likewise, if corrective measures are not taken in time, then one day the newly inaugurated flyover from Munshipulia to Engineering College crossing will also see encroachments. Presently, a few beggars have taken shelter under that flyover. All these are prime areas that can be used for multiple purposes," the DM said while talking to HT. About 60-70 families from marginalised communities have been living under the Amar Shaheed Path flyover for generations now. With the passage of time, these families have demarcated their areas. For instance, the first stretch of 200 metres has people from Gosaiganj, another stretch has people who migrated from Sitapur, then from Bahraich, Barabanki, Faizabad, and so on. A joint family of about 70-80 members lives under the bridge near Pickup Bhawan that leads to Lohia Park. Hailing from a small village in Barabanki, this family has people from all age groups, including a newborn. "We can develop them as parking spaces for vehicles. They can also be turned into play zones with badminton courts in some areas. A few greenery patches can be developed there, he said. In December 2024, civic officials were directed to immediately remove encroachments from under city flyovers at the executive meeting of Lucknow Municipal Corporation (LMC). Expressing her dissatisfaction with encroachments, mayor Sushma Kharakwal had even asked then municipal commissioner Inderjit Singh to take swift action in this regard. She ordered affidavits to be submitted within 15 days and court challans to be issued against encroachers to ensure compliance. The mayor had even directed LMC zonal officers and executive engineers to identify the affected areas and ensure corrective measures were implemented immediately....