Mayawati inaugurates Rs 685 cr park

Noida, Oct 14 (IBNS) Unmoved by criticism, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati on Friday evening inaugurated at Noida by the banks of Jamuna the massive Ambedkar park or the Dalit Prerna Sthal, a showpiece project that cost nearly Rs 685 crore to build over 33 acres of land.

She arrived near the venue in a helicopter and then went in a huge convoy to park that hosts 12 life size statues of Baba Ambedkar and late Bahujan Samaj Party leader and Mayawati´s mentor Kanshi Ram, besides those of the chief minister herself.

A total of 24 pink sandstone elephants adorn the park that the chief minister inaugurated proudly Friday evening.

Several Buddhist monks were present on the occasion as Baba Ambedkar had embraced Buddhism in his lifetime.

Inaugurating the park, Mayawati in her speech attacked her opposition, particularly Congress, saying the party had not done anything for the Dalit or honoured their leaders.

She said on the other side of the Jamuna in the Delhi part the Congress only built the memorials of Gandhi-Nehru clan, while on her side in Uttar Pradesh she built the one to the Dalit stalwarts.

She said there were criticism of splurging on the park but the entry tickets would soon raise the money spent on it.

Heavy security arrangement were made for the inauguration when thousands of people had gathered.

BJP and Congress both dubbed the project a waste of money.

The park has drawn the flak of local people for largescale cutting of trees to construct it while it is also very close to Okhla Bird Sanctuary.

The Supreme Court however cleared the park with several conditions.

Mayawati was on a spree of building her own statues across Uttar Pradesh.