LUCKNOW, July 4 -- Nearly two weeks after the devastating Aliganj fire claimed 15 lives, the UP Housing and Development Board (UPHDB) on Friday launched an enforcement drive against illegal commercial establishments operating from residential properties in its schemes across Lucknow. The action has shifted the focus from violations to the years of inaction that allegedly allowed such establishments to function unchecked. On Friday, the board's construction division sealed seven buildings in Indira Nagar that were illegally operating as hospitals, hotels, libraries, rental accommodations and commercial complexes without commercial land-use approval or sanctioned building plans. Officials also stopped the construction of an under-construction hotel being built on a residential plot in violation of building norms. Deputy housing commissioner Chandan Kumar Patel said the drive was carried out to identify commercial buildings and other establishments violating the prescribed norms. The crackdown follows the board's July 1 order directing executive engineers across UP to conduct fire safety audits of all high-occupancy establishments, including hotels, hospitals, banquet halls, schools, coaching centres, libraries, nursing homes and group housing societies. The order, issued on the directions of the state government, mandates verification of fire safety certificates, inspection of firefighting equipment, awareness workshops and issuance of notices to violators. Buildings failing to secure mandatory fire safety certificates within the stipulated period face sealing. The drive comes in the wake of the June 22 fire in Aliganj's Sector D, where 15 people lost their lives after a blaze engulfed a commercial establishment. The tragedy exposed glaring violations, including the absence of fire exits and mandatory fire safety measures in buildings operating on residential plots. While the LDA launched sealing drives within days of the incident, the Housing Board initiated enforcement only after issuing fresh directions, prompting questions over delayed action. According to board officials, the sealed buildings were carrying out commercial activities without obtaining land-use conversion or approval for commercial use. Many establishments also allegedly lacked mandatory fire safety clearances despite accommodating large number of people every day. Residents have now demanded that the enforcement drive go beyond sealing buildings and fix responsibility on officials who allegedly ignored violations for years. Vivek Sharma, a resident of Jankipuram Extension, questioned why illegal constructions were allowed to come up under the board's watch. "These buildings did not appear overnight. They operated openly for years while authorities remained silent. The board should identify the officials responsible for monitoring these areas and make public the list of officers under whose jurisdiction these violations occurred," he said....