‘Men in-charge of Maya’s Noida park absconding’

This came to light when minister of state for zoological gardens Dr Shiv Pratap Yadav,speaking on behalf of Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav,informed the Legislative Council on Tuesday that the park could not be opened because the parking lot and public utilities were not ready. Replying to a question from BSP MLC Mahesh Arya on the delay in opening the park for the public,the minister said only 15 per cent work had been completed on the underground parking lot. Work has been held up because the officials were absconding and could not be traced. “The pending work would be completed once these officials were traced,” the minister said.

Yadav said the BSP government hurriedly inaugurated the incomplete park because it had a hunch that it was going to lose the assembly elections.

Chairman of the Legislative Council Ganesh Shankar Pandey said: “The reply is not adequate. It is your responsibility to trace these officials and get the pending work completed.”

BJP member Hridya Narain Dixit asked the minister to disclose the number of absconding officials . “The information could be not be provided because an inquiry is on,” revenue minister Ambika Chaudhary said.

During Zero Hour,BSP members alleged that trees and plants in the memorials and parks were drying up because of lack of maintenance. Party leader Satish Chandra said sandstone,gates and grills have been stolen from different sites.

This gave enough room to Leader of the House Ahmad Hasan to launch a broadside against the security force that Mawayati raised to guard the memorials and parks in Lucknow and Noida. “The force raised by your government is inefficient if they could not guard these structures,” he said.

Opposition leader Naseemuddin Siddiqui said: “These memorials and parks are not BSP’s property . These belong to the state and,hence,should be properly maintained.”

Leader of the House Ahmad Hasan said several lakh trees were cut down for the construction of these memorials and parks in Lucknow and Noida. In their place,date palms had been planted which could not grow in the climate. As for the thefts,he said,“The security force formed by your government is inefficient if they could not guard these structures.”