Aparna is a Samajwadi Party leader, married to party patron Mulayam Singh Yadav’s younger son Prateek. (File Photo) Aparna is a Samajwadi Party leader, married to party patron Mulayam Singh Yadav’s younger son Prateek. (File Photo)

The Lucknow Development Authority (LDA) has recommended action against three of its officials including deputy secretary Ambi Bisht after an inquiry found that she had allegedly allotted a 12,000 sq ft plot at a prime location in Lucknow to her husband Arvind Singh Bisht using forged documents. While Arvind Singh Bisht is serving as the state information commissioner, the couple’s daughter Aparna, is an Samajwadi Party leader, married to party patron Mulayam Singh Yadav’s younger son Prateek. LDA Joint Secretary Mahendra Kumar Mishra told The Indian Express that a complaint received last year had claimed that Ambi Bisht got a property — B-114 in TG-Chandganj housing scheme of LDA — allotted fraudulently in her husband’s name.

“Ambi Bisht prepared a duplicate file with forged papers showing that the plot was allotted to her husband Arvind Bisht,” said Mishra. When the registrar office was contacted, the LDA was informed that there were no records related to the property being registered in Bisht’s name, he added.

Mishra further said action has been recommended against Ambi Bisht, then project officer Seema Agrawal and section officer Devendra Lal. While the property is valued at “several crores”, Bisht had not paid any amount to LDA against it, he claimed, adding, “The nature of punishment will be decided by higher-ups.” Speaking to The Indian Express, Ambi Bisht denied the allegations and claimed that a “controversy was unnecessarily being created” to insult her for “political reasons”. “This is being done because I am a relative of Mulayam Singh Yadavji. This is an attempt to malign the image of both families,” she said.

She further claimed that the property belonged to the “Nazul trust”, and that her husband had leased for the past several years. “The lease was to be renewed in 2015. I was looking after the work of leased properties in 2015 as deputy secretary. I signed the file regarding renewal of lease in the name of my husband and forwarded that to the secretary and vice-chairman. Both approved renewal. The lease amount was also paid,” she added. She further claimed that later in 2015, she had sent an application to the CM’s office requesting for the plot to be made a freehold property.

“My family visited the land site and found illegal possession there. Then, we decided not to take the property and I sent an application to LDA vice-chairman requesting to cancel the lease. But I came to know that the lease was not cancelled when LDA sent me a letter in which the status of the action on my application regarding free hold of property was inquired. I surrendered the lease deed of the property to LDA in May this year. The property and its papers are in possession of LDA now and my family has no association with that land,” she added.

Ambi Bisht also alleged that after change of government in the state, several works had been taken back from her and she was presently being given work of the LDA’s public information officer.

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