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Mayawati Government launches damage control exercise

Special Correspondent

New proposal to construct ultra-modern stadium in Lucknow

LUCKNOW: Forced on the back foot by Tuesday’s Allahabad High Court order to maintain the status quo at the Ambedkar Stadium here, the Mayawati Government launched a damage control exercise on Wednesday.

The day started with the Uttar Pradesh Olympic Association (UPOA), which claims to represent various sports organisations, issuing a statement to the Press welcoming the Government’s decision to construct a 50-acre ultra-modern stadium in the Gomti Nagar extension scheme. It said the move was welcomed at the UPOA meeting presided over by its vice-president, Congress MLC Ranjit Singh Judeo, on Wednesday.

Mr. Judeo had criticised the Government’s move to demolish the stadium in the Legislative Council on Tuesday.

The proposal to construct a new stadium was finalised at a meeting of the Lucknow Development Authority (LDA) here on Wednesday.

According to the proposal, the stadium would cover an area of 50 acres, of which 40 acres will be gram samaj land and 10 acres will be arranged by the development authority.

Besides, three smaller stadiums would be developed in the Gomti Nagar area, which has come to be identified with new Lucknow.

The first stadium, covering eight acres, would be built in Vijayant Khand, the second spread around 4.3 acres in Viram Khand and the third of two acres in Vibhor Khand in Gomti Nagar, the LDA release said. It added that the mini-stadium in Vinay Khand would be renovated.

Late on Tuesday night the Government issued a statement reiterating that the Ambedkar Stadium was part of the Ambedkar Memorial Park situated next door and the stadium would be incorporated into the park.

The Government denied that a memorial to Kanshi Ram would be built in the stadium, and clarified that construction related to the Ambedkar Memorial would be done in the sports arena.

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Mayawati Government launches damage control exercise

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