Lucknow, Jul 19 (IANS): The land seized from mafia-politician Mukhtar Ansari will now be used to provide housing for the poor.

The Lucknow Development Authority (LDA) has decided to construct 72 flats on the land seized from Ansari, his sons and other family members in the city's Dalibagh area.

The construction will be done under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana.

Senior LDA?officials have written a letter to Lucknow District Magistrate Surya Pal Gangwar to provide the land .

“We are planning to construct 72 flats under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana in Dalibagh. A letter has been sent to district magistrate to make the land available for the project,” said an LDA official.

The LDA had identified 2.321.54 sq.metres of land of the Ansari family in Dalibagh.

It was enemy property which was illegally occupied by the Ansari family and they had illegally constructed bungalows and apartments on this land.

Earlier this month, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath had given possession of 72 houses in Prayagraj to the poor and these houses had been built on land which was illegally occupied by slain gangster Atiq Ahmad.