Ansal township residents want govt to provide essential services

letters@hindustantimes.com

Over 5,000 families residing in Sushant Golf hi-tech city and Ansal Township colonies are facing a challenging situation regarding the maintenance of essential services due to the insolvency issue of Ansal Properties and Infrastructure Private Limited.

In light of this situation, the residents’ welfare association is now seeking the intervention of the state government, requesting that the Lucknow Municipal Corporation take over maintenance and development responsibilities of the colony. The residents also want LESA to provide multipoint connections and take over the entire power supply of township.

Until now, essential services such as power supply, sanitation, cleanliness, road construction and maintenance, park upkeep, street lighting, and security were all managed by the sister concern of Ansal Properties, Ansal API Infrastructure Ltd. However, due to a failure to maintain the expected service levels, complaints have ranged from irregular power supply to poorly maintained roads and parks.

ML Sahu, president of Sushant Golf City Residents Welfare Society, an umbrella organisation of around 15 residents’ welfare associations and societies in the Ansals Township, said, “ Ansal Properties and Infrastructure Ltd and Ansal API Infrastructure Ltd, having deliberately violated the DPR and failed to adhere to the five-year completion deadline for the township, should be held accountable. Penal action must be taken against these companies, and they should be compelled to prioritise the completion of amenities and other facilities before handing them over to the Lucknow Municipal Corporation.”

“The residents, based on the size of plots and flats, are paying between ₹3000 and ₹6000 maintenance charges to M/s Ansal API Infrastructure Ltd, but you can see the poor road condition, poorly maintained streetlights and dark areas. The coloniser promised to install CCTV cameras but, for the last 10 years, nothing has been done. Even the boundary wall of the township has not been completed. Tourist leisure zone , sports complex, sports stadium, initially mentioned in DPR, are not constructed. All the houses have prepaid meters installed for power connection, but the amount which they collect in advance is not paid to LESA. That’s why every month LESA keeps threatening the residents with power cuts.”

Neeraj Arora, a resident, said, “Our residents’ association on March 4 wrote to the state government for providing multiple point connections. The residents of this township have consistently paid electricity charges in advance. Despite that we are subjected to constant harassment due to the defaults of Ansal Properties & Infrastructure Ltd.”

Executive engineer, LESA, Anuj Kumar said, “The decision to cut off power supply on Friday was taken back after the part payment of ₹20 lakh by the Ansal API Infrastructure Ltd.”

Meanwhile, an official of Ansal API Infrastructure Ltd on condition of anonymity said, “The company is committed to providing maintenance services to residents like in the past. However, if the residents want to approach the state government for a takeover, then it’s their choice.”