Mayawati's mega project

[Desi Cartman]

NOIDA: When the Mayawati government started building a wall along four adjacent parks next to the Yamuna riverbed opposite Sectors 14-A and 15-A Maya secretly builds mega memorial early last year, residents had thought it was just meant to protect the area. The parks, however, were soon made out of bounds for the people. It now transpires that site is being secretly turned into a grandiose Dalit memorial, the likes of which have dotted the state capital, Lucknow, during successive Mayawati regimes. The Yamuna Parks Users Association (YPUA) has filed a PIL with the Supreme Court-appointed CEC, seeking a stay on the construction which they allege is posing a huge danger to the adjacent Okhla Bird Sanctuary. The petition filed on March 5 claims that no environment impact assessment (EIA) was carried out for the project which is in clear violation of a 2006 ministry of environment and forest notification. The notification makes an EIA compulsory for all projects located within 10km of a protected area notified under the Wildlife (Protection ) Act — in this case, Okhla Bird Sanctuary — critically polluted areas notified by the CPCB — river Yamuna — or interstate boundaries —Delhi and UP. Extreme secrecy surrounds the project. Though no Noida officials is willing to talk about it, the project is rumoured to be "grander than the Akshardham temple" being built at a cost of around Rs 300 crore. All construction activity is hidden from view by large tin sheets. Nobody is permitted to enter the premises —when TOI attempted to enter the area, security guards said they have been instructed to allow only those with government-issued identity cards. A worker at the site claimed that the complex, spread across 8km from the Noida SP office to Amity University crossing, will house a museum, 11 statues of Dalit icons, including one each of Mayawati, Kanshi Ram and Ambedkar, crafted by BSP's favourite sculptor Anil Ramsutar. Residents say work on the project started in January last year and Noida officials had told them that it was only a wall to protect and beautify the parks. "Initially, we thought that only a wall was being built to enclose the parks. But about seven months later, two parks were completely shut off for morning walkers and massive excavation work started inside with great secrecy and speed. Despite repeated attempts, and even an RTI petition, the government is not divulging any details about the project even as our parks have been eaten away," said Kanan V Jaswal, president of the YPUA. Work is happening at a frenetic pace, round the clock. "There is massive noise and air pollution due to the large scale construction. Earlier, we could not see anything inside but now columns, about 30 feet high, have emerged from behind the tin sheets. Work goes on through the night. Since the CEC is yet to hear our PIL due to some internal issues, we are planning to file another petition directly before the Supreme Court, seeking an immediate stay on the work," said Anand Arya, an avid birder and resident of Sector 15-A. Not only is the project coming up on the Yamuna riverbed, say residents, it has also sprung up at the cost of roughly 3,000 trees. "The concretization in such close proximity of the bird sanctuary has already resulted in a fall in population of some important migratory birds. The nesting pattern of the Indian Golden Oriole has also been affected. The noise and light pollution caused by the construction would be a serious disturbance in their natural habitat," said Arya. Despite repeated attempts, nobody from the government was ready to comment on the project. TOI tried getting in touch with Noida CEO Mohinder Singh, senior BSP leader and cabinet minister Nasimuddin Siddique and the chief minister's office in Lucknow. However, TOI was told that most people were out on election campaigning and there was nobody to respond to questions.

State needs schools , hospitals , roads etc but she spends 300 crore on a freaking museum :banghead: I dont have any problems if she wants to build a museum but to not inform anybody in the area, not following any rules meant for the area and above all BUILDING YOUR OWN FREAKING STATUE.. I wonder what she'll do if she ever becomes a PM :nervous:

[suraj]

State needs schools , hospitals , roads etc but she spends 300 crore on a freaking museum :banghead: I dont have any problems if she wants to build a museum but to not inform anybody in the area, not following any rules meant for the area and above all BUILDING YOUR OWN FREAKING STATUE.. I wonder what she'll do if she ever becomes a PM :nervous:

In US people get to vote on where taxpayers' dolllars are spent; it is not a perfect system but a 1000 times better than India's inefficencies

[veeru_rocks]

Not defending these measures but blame it on statue culture in every nook and corner by certain family... Too bad she is following in the footsteps.. I propose a law against any memorial in name of any person henceforth.. Even project names should delink the person who embarked on its For instance Golden Quadrilaterl is right and Bajapayee Path wud have bene wrong. Indira Aawas yojana is wrong and garib aawas yojana wud have been right.. These tendencies are at the root of this this issue.. Obviously Maywati is in hurry to trumpet the dalit symbolism keeping in line with the old hero-worship culture...

[Desi Cartman]

She is the only neta to be building her own statues ... abhi to zinda hai

[veeru_rocks]

She is the only neta to be building her own statues ... abhi to zinda hai

It hardly makes any difference who makes your statues paisa utana hi khkarch hota hai ..I am against statue culture.......Jis gali meim jao sala wo Rajeve gandhi jhank raha hota hai jaise kooi teer mara tha.. Maywati bhi wahin kar rahi hai Ambedkar Kansi Ram sath mein apna bhi add kar de rahi hai.... Sala jitana statue mein lagaya utana paisa road banane mein lagaya hota to 40 saal pahle golden quadrilateral ban gaya hota.......

[THX_1138]

It hardly makes any difference who makes your statues paisa utana hi khkarch hota hai ..I am against statue culture.......Jis gali meim jao sala wo Rajeve gandhi jhank raha hota hai jaise kooi teer mara tha.. Maywati bhi wahin kar rahi hai Ambedkar Kansi Ram sath mein apna bhi add kar de rahi hai.... Sala jitana statue mein lagaya utana paisa road banane mein lagaya hota to 40 saal pahle golden quadrilateral ban gaya hota.......

tu aajib hai!! for once treat the matter at hand on its merits or demerits rather than broadening the debate just adequately enough to target those who do not appear to be compatible with your ideologies. true there are numerous statues all over the bloody place, and most of them come at the expense of local development... but a 300 crore misinvestment is absolutely stunning and i dont care who mayawati is alligned with, but she is a grade A beyatch for doing this.