Lucknow: Despite intensified efforts by the Lucknow Police to strengthen urban security under Operation Pehchan, tenant verification numbers in the city remain strikingly low. Of an estimated population of nearly 60 lakh, only about 13,800 tenants have been police-verified so far, highlighting a major gap between policy intent and ground-level compliance.
Launched in 2025, Operation Pehchan makes police verification of tenants mandatory for all property owners. Landlords are required to register tenant details either before renting out a property or within one month of a tenant moving in. The rule applies even when multiple tenants reside at the same address. However, officials and experts believe the actual number of tenants in Lucknow is far higher than the verified figure.
Senior police officers estimate that tenants could account for at least 10% of the city’s population, driven by steady migration, students, job seekers and frequent changes in rental agreements. The absence of a recent comprehensive survey or a centralised real-time database has made it difficult to accurately assess the total number of tenants in the city.
According to Ashok Singh, Chief Tax Assessment Officer of the Lucknow Municipal Corporation, around 7.47 lakh properties are currently registered in the city, a number expected to rise to nearly 8.5 lakh in the near future. A significant portion of these properties are believed to be rented out, further underscoring the scale of under-registration.
Joint Commissioner of Police (Law and Order) Babloo Kumar said that 13,864 tenants have been registered so far under the drive. He added that large-scale awareness campaigns are underway across all police station areas to encourage compliance. Police teams are conducting door-to-door outreach, holding meetings with resident welfare associations, and making public announcements using loudspeakers in residential colonies to inform landlords about the legal requirement of tenant verification.
After online registration, local police teams carry out physical verification to ensure the authenticity of the information provided. Officials said this step is crucial to prevent misuse of rental properties for criminal activities and to improve monitoring in residential neighbourhoods.
To simplify the process, tenant registration has been made fully digital. Landlords can submit tenant details through the Lucknow Police website or the UPCOP mobile application. Required documents include photographs, Aadhaar details, mobile numbers and permanent addresses of tenants. Police have warned that legal action may be initiated if a tenant is found involved in criminal activity and the landlord has failed to complete police verification. Property owners have also been advised to obtain tenant character certificates, which can be applied for online.
Zone-wise data show that newer parts of the city have reported higher compliance. The eastern zone recorded the highest number of registrations at 6,657, followed by the southern zone with 4,928. These zones include developing localities such as Gomti Nagar, Gomti Nagar Extension, Chinhat, Ansal, Vrindavan, Mohanlalganj and BBD. In contrast, older areas in the northern, central and western zones—covering Indira Nagar, Jankipuram, Chowk, Hazratganj, Aminabad and Charbagh—reported comparatively fewer registrations.
Special provisions are in place for foreign nationals. Landlords providing accommodation to foreign citizens are required to fill Form C and inform the local police, as per existing legal norms.
Police officials said the broader objective of Operation Pehchan is not punitive but preventive—to enhance citizen participation in maintaining law and order and enable early detection and prevention of criminal activities. However, the current numbers suggest that much stronger awareness and enforcement efforts will be needed to bridge the gap between policy and practice in a rapidly expanding city like Lucknow.
