The Hindu : National : Work continues at U.P. memorial sites: petitioner

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Work continues at U.P. memorial sites: petitioner

J. Venkatesan

NEW DELHI: The Mayawati government is continuing with construction activities at the memorial sites in Lucknow, despite the restraint order passed by the Supreme Court on September 11, the petitioner alleged on Wednesday.

Responding to the affidavit filed by Uttar Pradesh Chief Secretary that the order was not violated, petitioner Mithilesh Kumar Singh said that to mislead the Supreme Court and to create confusion, the State government had split a composite site — Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar Sthal — into different projects and coined new names for them to show they were not covered by the restraint order.

He said the reports published in the print media and telecast in the electronic media were correct and they reflected the correct picture of the sites, where construction activities were being carried out in violation of the undertaking given by the State government on September 8 and the restraint order.

He said the State of Uttar Pradesh and its functionaries and those connected with the construction work were guilty of committing wilful contempt of court and liable to be proceeded against and severely punished.

The State’s contention that it was only maintaining and cleaning the sites, removing garbage and unused building materials, were a ploy, he said.

In a fresh affidavit filed on Tuesday, the State government denied any fresh construction activity on the sites in question. “Whatever construction was being carried out was only with regard to certain structures, which are not the subject matter of dispute,” it said.

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