Months after switch orders issued by the housing and urban planning division in 2025, loads of engineers and officers shifted from the Lucknow Pattern Authority (LDA) to smaller authorities with decrease budgets and restricted staffing decide up no longer joined their new postings. Many continue to remain in what officers characterize as “creamy postings” in the bid capital, affecting venture execution and raising issues over the enforcement of administrative orders.
In spite of the orders, loads of officers continue to preserve key positions in LDA, where the 2026–27 finances stands at around ₹5,148 crore. In difference, authorities such because the Gorakhpur Pattern Authority (GDA) characteristic with a smaller finances of about ₹1,099 crore, making the absence of experienced workers extra acute.
The matter gained consideration after the GDA vice-chairperson wrote to the main secretary of the housing and urban planning division on March 25, 2026, flagging non-compliance. A duplicate of the letter modified into additionally despatched to the LDA vice president, in step with an legit verbal replace accessed by HT.
Within the letter, GDA acknowledged that govt engineer Manoj Kumar Sagar, transferred from LDA, has no longer reported for accountability no matter being posted to an equal space almost about nine months ago.
Officials acknowledged GDA is facing operational challenges ensuing from the absence of a chosen govt engineer, slowing the execution and clearance of key tasks. Residents dependent on these works continue to face delays.
An LDA legit, asking for anonymity, acknowledged Sagar is at set handling key assignments, along side electrical and mechanical works, and is additionally presumably the most valuable govt engineer to preserve mark of commercial property in LDA.
Sources acknowledged no lower than 4 officers, along side one govt engineer and three junior engineers, had been transferred final year but continue to work in the LDA. Many are handling high-mark assignments racy expenditure of crores.
Officials acknowledged the reluctance to fade is linked to the scale and nature of tasks in LDA, continually termed as “creamy postings,” when put next to quite smaller tasks in utterly different authorities.
Particularly, GDA had earlier written to the authorities on July 15, 2025, in quest of instructions for compliance, but no action followed. In its most modern verbal replace, it has again urged the bid division to intervene and make certain instant joining.
The self-discipline features to gaps in enforcing switch policies, with smaller authorities facing workers shortages while officers remain in high-finances postings in the bid capital.
A senior LDA legit overseeing the establishment division declined to half diminutive print on the officers transferred final year.
Anand Vardhan, vice-chairperson of the GDA, declined to commentary, calling it routine internal verbal replace between the 2 authorities.
