No new construction at Kanshi Ram site: UP to SC

The Mayawati government in Uttar Pradesh has denied any fresh construction activities at the site of Rs 2,600-crore memorials being constructed for Bahunjan Samaj Party founder Kanshi Ram and other Dalit leaders in Lucknow.

In a fresh counter affidavit filed before the Supreme Court in New Delhi on Monday, the state government submitted that whatever construction was being carried out was only with regard to certain structures, which are not the subject matter of dispute in the Allahabad high court.

The state questioned the "maintainability" of the applications moved before the apex court by non-governmental organisation Gomtinagar Kalyan Sanstha and others on the memorials dispute.

The counter-affidavit claimed the applications were motivated and not maintainable, as in the original writ petition filed by the NGO and others before the high court the allegations were only with regard to certain alleged violations of the town-planning norms.

But in the present application before the apex court, the state said the NGO had sought a total stay on construction activities, which was motivated to halt the construction and hence sought dismissal of the same.

The apex court had on September 17 expressed dissatisfaction with the "most profuse apology" tendered by the state government for allegedly going ahead with the construction activities despite directions to the contrary.