LUCKNOW: Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath on Monday said a parcel of land in Lucknow that allegedly remained under mafia occupation for years was reclaimed after his government’s “bulldozer policy” came into force and now houses the State Forensic Institute.Speaking at the concluding session of the D-3 (Digital Democracy Dialogue) ‘Triveni’ programme, Adityanath said the issue came to his notice when a senior police officer informed him that land earmarked for the forensic institute was under illegal occupation.Recalling the episode, the CM said, “Just before his retirement, the DGP brought me a file and said, ‘Sir, you are talking about setting up a forensic institute, but 120 acres of UP Police land has been occupied by a mafia don.’ I told him, ‘This is my favourite topic.'”Adityanath said the mafia had become so influential under previous governments that even the police could not recover their own land.“But when the double-engine government’s bulldozer policy came into effect, the mafia voluntarily surrendered the land. Today, a grand State Forensic Institute stands on that very site,” he said.Interacting with content creators at the event, the chief minister spoke on a range of issues, including law and order, media, forensic infrastructure, defence manufacturing, tourism, medical education and cultural heritage.Highlighting Uttar Pradesh’s defence manufacturing push, Adityanath said BrahMos missiles are now being manufactured in Lucknow under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s guidance.The state government, he said, allotted nearly 200 acres free of cost for the project.“The value of land cannot be greater than national security,” Adityanath said, adding that the state would benefit through tax revenues once production reaches full scale.He said Uttar Pradesh is expected to earn around Rs 135 crore annually in GST revenue from the BrahMos project, which has an annual production target of around 150 missiles.The chief minister also said investment proposals worth Rs 35,000 crore have been received for the UP Defence Corridor, exceeding the initial expectation of Rs 20,000-25,000 crore.On the media’s role, Adityanath said news should be reported objectively.“News should be presented as news. Personal views should not be mixed with news. There is a separate space for views and opinions,” he said.Addressing content creators, he said they were not merely producing content but could also act as opinion-makers and help connect society with the truth.“Standing by the truth is a challenge in itself, but ultimately truth prevails. If every individual understands and fulfils his or her responsibilities, positive outcomes will certainly follow,” Adityanath said. (With PTI inputs)
