LUCKNOW, Sept. 4 -- Illegal occupants, and not original allottees, reside in 70% of the Lucknow Municipal Corporation's properties across the city. The bulk of these 2,000 residential and commercial properties - located in high-value zones like Gurunanak Market, Riverbank Colony, Lalbagh, Hazratganj, Aminabad, and Charbagh - are occupied by third-party tenants who either reside or run businesses on these premises without legal transfer of tenancy rights, reveals an internal report of the civic body. After years of failed eviction drives, legal entanglements and deteriorating infrastructure, the LMC's internal committee has recommended a two-pronged solution: Tenancy transfer scheme - allow existing occupants to regularise their stay by paying a one-time transfer fee and outright sale option - enable occupants to purchase the properties, converting them from leasehold to freehold. The proposal will be debated in the LMC House on Thursday, September 4. If passed, an official notification and application process will follow within weeks. A phased rollout, beginning with high-value commercial zones, is being considered. The regularisation is not just about paperwork. The committee has strongly recommended that all dilapidated civic properties be repaired or redeveloped post-transfer, ensuring structural safety and modernisation. "A significant number of these properties are in a state of disrepair. We need legal occupants who are willing to invest in their upkeep. Regularisation gives them that incentive," a senior official told HT. "A uniform fee model could hurt low-income tenants. The LMC must consider slab-based pricing or subsidies," a senior official acknowledged. Estimates suggest that even if 50% of the illegal occupants opt in, the civic body stands to earn Rs 100-150 crore, a potential game-changer for municipal finances. However, civic activists have raised concerns about affordability for low-income tenants. "A one-size-fits-all transfer fee might price out vulnerable occupants. LMC should consider slabs or subsidies based on income or location," said a higher official of LMC....