LUCKNOW, June 20 -- The Lucknow Development Authority (LDA) has issued an eviction notice to around 150 shopkeepers at a commercial complex in Vibhuti Khand area of Gomti Nagar, citing expiry of a 30-year lease granted to a prominent corporate group in 1987. The LDA now plans to take over the complex, built on a 4,741 square metre commercial plot, and sell it through e-auction, senior officials said. LDA vice-chairman Prathamesh Kumar said the lease expired on January 3, 2017 and because it was not renewed since then, it was cancelled. He said the development authority would begin vacating the property with immediate effect. However, he did not reveal the final plan for redevelopment or e-auction timelines. LDA executive engineer and commercial property in-charge Manoj Sagar said he was unaware of the issue. Tension gripped the area on Wednesday after the LDA officials pasted a notice at the complex, declaring that the lease granted to the corporate group for 30 years had been cancelled with effect from May 25, 2025, and that the property now belongs to the LDA. LDA additional secretary Gyanendra Verma said executive engineer Ajit Kumar (Zone 1) has been directed to initiate possession proceedings. Officials said the complex will be sealed on Friday. The current market value of the land is estimated at Rs 100 crore, they added. The move triggered concern and resentment among around 11 of the shopkeepers still running their businesses from the complex. While some of them voluntarily began vacating their shops, others claimed that they were kept in the dark about the ownership status and that they had not been given time or issued individual notices. They said they are considering moving the court. "We've been here for decades. I started my courier shop in 1998 when the rent was just a handful. It has now gone up to Rs 2,500, but I never skipped paying the rent," said Sudhir Tiwari, one of the oldest shopkeepers. "We had no idea it was LDA's property. We took the shops on rent from those who had taken the possession from the corporate group," he added. Another shopkeeper, Akhilesh Singh, said the LDA's sudden action was high-handed. "They arrived without prior notices and pasted a notice. We were not even given time to discuss the matter or show any documents. This is no way to treat people who've run businesses here for decades," he said. He pointed out that earlier, the office of the corporate group was also on the top floor, but it was vacated later on. An LDA official, who did not wish to be named, said the lease was for 30 years starting 1987, and the corporate group failed to apply for renewal or pay the required fees for extension. "The lease agreement had provisions for extension beyond 30 years, but since the corporate group made no such move, the lease was cancelled," the official added. Earlier, a committee formed by the LDA inspected the complex and found it to be dilapidated, with dirt and and garbage piling up. Officials found around 150 shops inside the complex, with only 11 of them operational. Shopkeepers said that about 25 shops were under contract while the remaining were vacant....