Thousands of stone carvers helped create Mayawati’s dream project
October 15th, 2011 - 12:26 am ICT by IANS
Noida, Oct 14 (IANS) Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati’s Rs.684-crore “dream project” - the Rashtriya Dalit Prerna Sthal and Green Garden - has been a subject of controversy ever since construction began around three years ago.
The chief minister faced criticism over the high cost and also because of the thousands of trees that were axed to make way for the project.
The park, which has 24 statues of elephants, the symbol of her Bahujan Samaj Party, and of Dalit icons B.R. Ambedkar and Kanshi Ram and of herself, is commonly referred to as the Noida Park.
Over 25,000 stone carvers and masons and several hundred statue makers worked away at the 82-acre park located near the DND Flyway.
The park is divided into three parts - the Column Plaza, the Central Park Plaza and the Ambedkar Plaza separated by two water fountains.
The Column Plaza is dotted with several 300 ft high pillars crowned by elephants. The Ambedkar Plaza has stone statues, one of Mayawati and others of the Buddha, Ambedkar and Kanshi Ram. The Central Plaza houses the dome that has life-size statues of the chief minister, Ambedkar and Kanshi Ram.
All the pillars and the facade of the central dome are ornamented with Buddhist motifs.
In keeping with the Supreme Court’s order of maintaining 75 percent green cover, thousands of trees and shrubs have been planted.
A special task force is to guard the park to maintain security.
Construction work on the park began in January 2009.
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Tags: acre park, b r ambedkar, bahujan samaj party, central dome, central park, central park plaza, chief minister, construction work, crore, dnd, dream project, elephants, kanshi ram, masons, motifs, pillars, stone carvers, stone statues, trees and shrubs, water fountains