UP Gangsters Act: ₹15,233 Cr In Property Action, 148 Homes Handed Over To Poor Families

Uttar Pradesh has reported property action worth ₹15,233 crore under the Gangsters Act since 2017, while 148 flats built on reclaimed land have been handed over to economically weaker families.

The figures come amid Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath’s sustained campaign against organised crime, which has involved attaching properties linked to alleged criminals, demolishing illegal structures and confiscating assets through legal proceedings.

The state has also begun converting select recovered plots into affordable housing, with the stated aim of turning properties linked to gangsters into homes for families who cannot afford housing in the same localities.

The next major project is a proposed 1,200-home development in Prayagraj on land recovered from the network of gangster-politician Atiq Ahmed.

Property Action Under Gangsters Act

The reported value of property action in Uttar Pradesh has risen steadily since Adityanath took office in March 2017. According to the figures cited in the report, the cumulative value stood at ₹1,800 crore by August 2021, ₹9,022.33 crore by March 2023, ₹11,841 crore by August 2023, ₹14,246 crore by the end of 2024 and ₹15,233 crore by October 2026.

These figures cover different stages of enforcement, including attachment, demolition and confiscation. The categories have distinct legal implications.

Attachment places property under legal restraint while proceedings are pending. Demolition involves the removal of a structure, while confiscation transfers ownership to the government following the relevant legal process.

The cumulative figure of ₹15,233 crore, therefore, represents the reported scale of property-related action and should not be read as the value of assets that have all been finally confiscated by the state.

148 Flats Built On Recovered Land

Two completed housing projects account for the 148 flats handed over to eligible families.

The first project, comprising 76 flats in Lukarganj, Prayagraj, was developed by the Prayagraj Development Authority under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Urban. The land had been recovered from the network of Atiq Ahmed, the gangster-politician who was killed in 2023.

The keys to the flats were handed over on June 30, 2023. The project cost approximately ₹6.6 crore.

The second project comprises 72 economically weaker section (EWS) flats in Dalibagh, Lucknow. Developed by the Lucknow Development Authority on around 2,322 square metres of land linked to Mukhtar Ansari and his family, the project saw allotment letters handed over on November 5, 2025.

Each flat measures 36.65 square metres and is priced at ₹10.70 lakh.

Together, the two projects account for 148 completed flats on recovered land. The number remains limited compared with the much larger value of property action reported by the state.

Prayagraj Project To Add 1,200 Homes

On October 15, 2026, Adityanath laid the foundation stone for a 1,200-home project at Kasari-Masari in Prayagraj under the Padmalok Awas Yojana, according to the report.

The project will be developed in two phases. The first will comprise 602 homes, while the second will add 598. The land was recovered from the network of Atiq Ahmed.

Once completed, the project would increase the number of homes planned or delivered on land linked to gangsters from 148 to 1,348.

The state’s broader affordable housing drive has also included a separate handover of 160 EWS flats at the Palm Paradise complex in Gorakhpur in October 2025, NDTV reported. That project forms part of the wider housing push and is distinct from the 148 flats built on the two recovered plots in Prayagraj and Lucknow.

Why Housing Numbers Remain Limited

The number of homes built on recovered land remains much smaller than the value of property action reported under the campaign.

One reason is that attachment does not automatically mean the government has acquired clear ownership of a property. Legal proceedings can continue for years before confiscation is finalised. Other recovered plots may be used for roads, parks or police facilities rather than housing.

The legal circumstances can also vary between properties. In Dalibagh, the land involved structures alleged to have been illegally built on evacuee property under a separate central legal framework.

A consolidated public record distinguishing attached properties, final confiscations, demolitions, court-ordered releases and housing projects with confirmed possession status would provide a clearer picture of the campaign’s overall outcomes.

For now, the completed flats in Prayagraj and Lucknow offer a tangible example of how some recovered properties have been used for affordable housing. The proposed 1,200-home development at Kasari-Masari is the next major test of the state’s effort to link its action against organised crime with housing for economically weaker families.