Varanasi: A Rs 20 crore three-storied shopping mall, Paris Plaza, owned by jailed mafia don and MLA Mukhtar Ansari’s henchman Mohd Isha Khan, was demolished amidst tight security at Ghazipur Tiraha in Mau district on Thursday.
In Varanasi also, illegal constructions in the house of another Mukhtaer accomplice, Meraj Ahmed alias Bhai Meraj, who had surrendered before the police recently and was sent to jail, were demolished in Ashok Vihar Colony under the limits of Jaitpura police station. Earlier, Mukhar family’s hotel Ghazal in Ghazipur was demolished on November 1.
A joint team of district administration and police led by city magistrate and ASP reached Ghazipur Tihara under the limits of Kotwali police station, which is the prime location in Mau city, in the morning. After diverting traffic and isolating neighbouring areas, the officials engaged bulldozers to demolish the three-storied building of the shopping mall named as Paris Plaza.
Regarding this action ,ASP Mau Tribhuvan Nath Tripathi said that the shopping complex had been constructed illegally after capturing government land by Mohd Isha Khan. The map of the building was not sanctioned. A case in this connection had been lodged in 2004 and on August 27 the demolition order had been passed in local court, he said adding, Mohd Isha had filed an appeal before the district magistrate and controlling authority Mau, which was rejected on October 31.
Tripathi said that as per the order of the DM and controlling authority, the action of demolishing the illegal building was initiated. He said that the cost of the shopping mall was over Rs 20 crore.
When Mau officials were razing the mall in Mau, a joint team of Varanasi Development Authority and Jaitpura police raided the place of Meraj, another accomplice of Mukhtar, in Ashok Vihar Colony in the district. VDAs joint secretary Parmanand Yadav said that Meraj had constructed a garage and a store room in the front portion of the authority’s allotted flat, while a three-storied building was constructed in the rear area.
A notice for removing the illegal constructions had been issued over a month ago by VDA, he said, but as those illegal constructions were not removed the authority ensured its demolition.
Meraj had surrendered before the Jaitpura police on October 3 in a case of fraud committed to procure arms licence.
Before razing these buildings of Mukhtar’s henchmen, a hotel owned by his wife and son in the main city area of Ghazipur, which was constructed in 2004, had been demolished. On October 24, Shamm-e-Husaini Institute of nursing and paramedical college and hospital in Ghazipur owned by the don’s henchmen Dr Shadab Siddaqi and Azam Siddaqi were demolished. These actions were initiated following demolition of Mukhtar’s sons Abbas and Umar two illegally constructed buildings in Dalibagh area of the state capital on August 27.
Currently lodged at Ropar jail of Punjab, Mukhtar, his family, gang members and henchmen have already suffered losses of over Rs 150 crore in government action after May end in Ghazipur, Mau, Varanasi, Jaunpur, Azamgarh, Lucknow and other districts.
Mukhtar was not sent to UP by Punjab officials to be produced before the MP-MLA court of Prayagraj on October 21 on the basis of a medical board report.