'Astitva Bachao, Bhavishya Bachao': Massive Youth Protest In Lucknow Against Haider Canal Project

Lucknow: Lucknow witnessed a massive demonstration on Thursday as thousands of youth, under the banner of Azad Samaj Party, gathered to oppose the proposed Haider Canal development project.

The protestors, carrying placards with slogans like “Astitva Bachao, Bhavishya Bachao”, attempted to march from Parivartan Chowk towards the VidhanSabha. They were stopped near KD Singh Babu Stadium, where barricades were set up by police.

The movement has been named “Haider Canal Dalit Bahulya Basti Bachao Andolan.” Protesters allege that the century-old settlement, home to predominantly Dalit and marginalized families, faces demolition under the ₹2,270 crore development plan.

ASP state secretary Aniket Dhanuk said, “This settlement is more than 100 years old and shelters about seven lakh residents. Uprooting them for so-called development violates the Kashiram Slum Area Ownership Scheme (2007–12), which safeguards families living on land for over a decade. We are not against development, but not at the cost of displacing the poor.”

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The protesters staged a sit-in at the barricades, vowing to meet the Chief Minister to present their concerns. Many accused the government of siding with capitalists while ignoring the rights of the working class. For residents, the agitation is about more than land it is about dignity, history, and the right to remain in homes their families built over generations.