High Court halts Mayawati demolition plan

Lucknow, July 10 (IANS) In an extraordinary sitting held at 3 a.m. Tuesday, the Lucknow bench of the Allahabad High Court temporarily halted Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati's plan to demolish a 50 acre sports complex here and expand the Ambedkar Park.

Senior judge Pradeep Kant stayed the eviction of the people staying in the sprawling Ambedkar Sports Complex in posh Gomti Nagar - home to about 500,000 people - and stopped all demolition activity during the sitting held at his residence.

The judge, who constituted a special bench comprising himself and Justice D.P. Singh, fixed 12 noon for a detailed hearing in which all top officials connected with the issue have been summoned.

There was a huge crowd of sportspersons and concerned local residents outside the judge's house to hear his ruling.

The dramatic story began to unfold around 12 midnight when senior government officials landed up with bulldozers and asked the people inside - the hostel houses many national and state level players and other sportspersons - to vacate by 4 a.m. or face demolition.

People from the neighbourhood came out and shouted slogans against Mayawati. Some then got in touch with their lawyers, resulting in the extraordinary court sitting.

The chief minister wants to add the land on which the sports complex stands to the adjoining Ambedkar Park, which is already 108 acres. Architects from Delhi are being consulted and a sum of Rs.3.26 billion sanctioned in the state budget for the job. - IANS