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Mohammad Aziz, 25, took his own life on 28 July, just a month after being displaced from his home in the now-demolished Akbarnagar area of Lucknow. Aziz operated a small bag repair shop on a footpath in Akbarnagar for many years. His family had called Akbarnagar home for 35 years, and the disruption of their lives began when they were relocated in June.

Aziz, who was the father of a seven-month-old daughter, struggled with the pressure of providing for his family, particularly his infant child. The demolition of homes in Akbarnagar was part of a redevelopment initiative along the Kukrail riverbank, which resulted in the displacement of over 1,900 families. These families were relocated to new homes in Vasant Kunj on the outskirts of Lucknow under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana.

For these families, the relocation to the outskirts has meant the loss of livelihoods closely tied to their former location.

Mohammed Irshad, a neighbour familiar with Aziz’s financial struggles, told The Quint that Aziz and his wife argued about providing for their daughter. Since the authorities had confiscated his equipment, Aziz was unemployed and out of money.

Faced with mounting pressure, Aziz even contemplated moving abroad in hopes of securing better employment to support his family. “He was very tense and would repeatedly mention going abroad to work. I tried to pacify him and advised him stay back and manage in whatever way he could,” said Mohammad Rafiq, Aziz’s father.

On July 24, Lucknow Commissioner Roshan Jacob announced that vending zones had been established in Vasant Kunj to offer employment opportunities for families displaced from Akbarnagar. However, residents say that commuting from Vasant Kunj to the main city areas — like Gomtinagar, Mahanagar, and Hazratganj, which are at least 25 km away — is going to cost them a lot.

“Aziz was under pressure to get a job. Everyone here is facing a similar situation. What would we do with the flats here? How will we arrange for the installments of the houses allotted to us? Even for work, we have to spend at least Rs 100 to commute to Akbarnagar from here,” Mohammad Azad, Aziz’s cousin said.

Meanwhile, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath announced in the state assembly that Akbarnagar has been transformed into “Saumitra Van,” and the government has launched a tree plantation drive in the area.

Aziz’s death occurred over a week after a large-scale tree planting initiative, “Ped Lagao Ped Bachao Jan Abhiyan,” took place on July 20, where numerous saplings were planted in Akbarnagar.

“Jahan hamara ghar tha wahan ped laga diya aur jahan ped lagane ki suvidha thi waha insano ko daal diya hai. (They planted trees where our houses once stood and dumped us where there was a facility to plant trees,” said Afsana, a relative of Aziz.