Even as Lucknow’s skyline continues to expand with new residential and commercial developments, official records show that only around 60,000 of the city’s 7.65 lakh tax-paying properties have approved building maps. The figures reveal a wide gap between the city’s rapid urban growth and compliance with planning regulations.The LDA exercises planning jurisdiction over nearly 1,076 square kilometres (Sourced)Data obtained by Hindustan Times shows that only around 60,000 properties, or 7.94% of all tax-paying properties under the Lucknow Municipal Corporation (LMC), have sanctioned building plans issued by the Lucknow Development Authority (LDA). The remaining properties either do not have approved maps, fall under other planning agencies such as the UP Housing and Development Board (Awas Vikas Parishad), or were built decades ago without formal approvals.The figures come as the LDA has stepped up action against illegal constructions and unsafe commercial buildings following recent building collapse and fire incidents in the city.LDA vice chairman Prathamesh Kumar said the authority has approved around 60,000 building maps since its establishment in 1976, covering both residential and commercial properties. “Nearly 15,000 of these approvals were granted during the past six years,” he added.“The LDA exercises planning jurisdiction over nearly 1,076 square kilometres. Many existing properties have never obtained sanctioned building plans, while several structures in old city localities were constructed decades ago before present planning norms came into force,” Kumar said.LDA officials said several old localities, including Lalkuan, Chowk and Thakurganj, have houses and buildings constructed decades ago, many of them by previous generations, without sanctioned building plans.Officials said a large number of property owners have still not regularised their buildings despite occupying them and paying property tax.Meanwhile, LMC chief tax assessment officer Ashok Singh said the civic body currently collects property tax from around 7.65 lakh properties spread across nearly 568 square kilometres within municipal limits. He said the number is expected to rise as ongoing surveys identify additional properties.“The current figure represents assessed tax-paying properties. More properties identified during surveys will be incorporated into the municipal tax records in the coming months,” Singh said.Officials clarified that not all approved building plans in Lucknow are issued by the LDA. Housing schemes developed by the UP Housing and Development Board, including Vrindavan Yojana, Awadh Vihar, Indira Nagar, Rajajipuram, Vikas Nagar, Diamond Dairy, Mall Avenue, Amrapali and schemes in the Para area, are sanctioned by the board itself.However, Housing Board officials admitted that no consolidated data is available on the total number of properties or the geographical spread of its housing schemes in Lucknow. The board approves building maps only for properties developed under its own projects.