Akhilesh Yadav’s ‘dream project’ to be run by private firms for 30 years

On Tuesday, the Uttar Pradesh Cabinet approved the transfer of the Jayaprakash Narayan International Centre (JPNIC) in Lucknow to private firms for a 30-year lease, sparking criticism from the Opposition Samajwadi Party. The Lucknow Development Authority (LDA) proposed the handover, which was approved by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.

Finance Minister Suresh Khanna announced that Brindavan Bottlers Pvt Ltd and Rockwood Hotels and Resorts Pvt Ltd have been awarded the lease to complete and operate the JPNIC, which will feature a museum, cultural, sports, recreational, and multi-level parking facilities. The private entities will operate the Centre and pay the LDA, while the LDA will return Rs 857.69 crore to the UP government over the lease period, as the government has already spent Rs 818 crore on the project's construction.

Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav condemned the decision, questioning the BJP government's motives. The JPNIC had been a long-standing dream project of Akhilesh Yadav during his tenure as chief minister from 2012 to 2017, but it remained incomplete due to escalating costs. The centre has been a point of contention between the BJP government and the SP, with Akhilesh and his party attempting to enter the site in the past, resulting in a police confrontation.

The Cabinet's decision followed the state government's approval of transferring the JPNIC project to the LDA, which was previously managed by the Samajwadi Party government. The LDA was tasked with completing, operating, and maintaining the centre, and the government allocated Rs 821.74 crore for the project, which will be treated as a loan repaid by the LDA to the UP government over 30 years.