Growth Transition in Lucknow Alam Srinivas "LUCKNOW is the fastest growing city in the country," announces Lalji Tandon, former urban development minister in Uttar Pradesh and a BJP party member. He is philosophically correct but technically wrong. With a decadal population growth of 66 per cent in the period 1981-91, Lucknow was one of the five fastest growing class 1 cities, The pace of growth has proved all experts wrong and is splitting the city's infrastructure at its seam.