Parks with statues of Mayawati, elephants closed in Lucknow

Hours after the work of draping the statues of Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati and Bahujan Samaj Party's election symbol elephant was completed, the parks in which they were installed in Lucknow have been closed for the public till the assembly polls get over.

There are nine such parks including Manyavar Kanshiramj Green Eco Garden at VIP Road, Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar Samajik Parivartan Sthal, Gomtinagar and Smriti Upvan, Ashiana Kanshiram Smarak, Jail Road which were closed on Wednesday after the draping work finished.

While the Lucknow Development Authority refused to comment, staff in these parks said that they have been closed till the polls are over.

Dedicated to Dalit icons and built at an estimated cost of Rs 3,500 crore, these parks were thrown open for the public in October, 2011.

While the statues of Mayawati have been covered at all places with ply-boards, giant elephants have been covered with yellow tarpaulin.

The statues of elephants atop pillars were left uncovered at all memorials.

The EC had on Saturday issued orders to cover all statues of Mayawati and the BSP poll symbol at various parks and memorials in Lucknow and Gautam Buddha Nagar (Noida).

 While fixing January 11 as the deadline, the EC had asked the district electoral officers-cum-district magistrates of the two places to send a compliance report.