No permanent constructions for Lucknow Mahotsav: SC to Maya

New Delhi, Nov 21 (UNI) The Supreme Court today permitted the Mayawati government to make temporary arrangements for Lucknow Mahotsav which begins on November 25.

The Mayawati government has filed a petition against an Allahabad High Court order directing the government to maintain status quo which means that the state government cannot raise any construction either temporary or permanent.

Counsel for the state government contended before a bench comprising Chief Justice K G Balakrishnan and Justice P Sathasivam that the High Court order deserved to be set aside since the government has already spent a lot of money for organising the annual mahotsav at Smriti Sthal.

A PIL was filed in the High Court seeking to restrain the state government from raising any construction on the sthal which was in violation of the Lucknow master plan. The impugned order of the High Court was modified by the Supreme Court when the petition was mentioned for urgent hearing.

The state government will, however, not carry out any permanent construction on the sthal till further orders.

According to the state government, out of 101 acres of land earmarked for the Mahotsav, only 20 acres was earmarked for construction of parks in the memory of matyrs of Kargil war.

According to the PIL filed in the High Court, the allegations were that the state government was trying to change land use by raising permanent structures on the land earmarked for parks to perpetuate the memory of matyrs of Kargil war.

UNI SC BDP RP SSC1545