Kanpur: The Kanpur Development Authority (KDA) has served a notice to the stepmother of June 3 violence key accused Zafar Hayat Hashmi, seeking explanations why a hostel allegedly owned by her should not be demolished.
The notice, issued on Tuesday, was pasted the next day at Purvanchal Boys hostel, a three-storey structure with 40 rooms, located in Hitkari Nagar, Kakadev, said a senior official.
KDA's chief Engineer, Rohit Khanna, has issued the notice under section 27(1) of the Town Planning and Development Act asking Shahida Zafar Hashmi to appear before him on June 30 personally and submit a written explanation about raising of the structure at her 200-square yard plot without getting the map sanctioned.
If she fails to reply, the construction would be declared unauthorised, the notice read.
Shahida has been asked to submit her reply, with documents, by 12 noon June 30, said the Chief Engineer's notice.
In the notice, Khanna is said to have asked Shahida to submit in writing, as to why an order for demolition of the 'illegally constructed hostel' should not be passed.
The notice also says if the owner fails to submit a suitable reply, a fine of up to Rs 50,000 for illegal construction will be imposed on her or him, and a fine of Rs 2,500 for each subsequent day if the offence continues.
The KDA had earlier demolished a building in Kanpur's Swaroop Nagar owned by one Mohammad Ishtiyaq, allegedly a close aide of Zafar Hashmi.
It had also initiated action against a Kanpur-based builder, Haji Wasi, after his name came up allegedly in connection with funding to Zafar Hashmi, who is currently behind bars.
The KDA has sealed about a dozen buildings owned by Wasi in Chamanganj, Bansmandi, Chakeri, and Swaroop Nagar areas.
Uttar Pradesh government has been quick to use bulldozers to raze properties of those whose names came up for leading the protests.
On June 12, house of Javed Pump, one of key accused in anti-BJP protests in Prayagraj, was bulldozed by the district authorities.
A day before that, Saharanpur authorities, had demolished houses of another two accused, and shared videos of the act on social media.
Several districts in the state witnessed violent protests last Friday, staged to denounce a comment made against Prophet Muhammad by Nupur Sharma, the now-suspended spokesperson of the Bharatiya Janata Party. —PTI