http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-south-asia-11910895
3 December 2010 Last updated at 13:14 GMT
India court okays Dalit leader Mayawati's statues park
Construction was stopped at the park in October last year
India's Supreme Court has said work can resume at a memorial park
being built by Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati in the Delhi
suburb of Noida.
The court said 50% of the 75-acre park must have trees as it was close
to a bird sanctuary and that only 25% could involve permanent
structures.
Ms Mayawati is an icon for India's 160 million low-caste Hindus.
She is famous for building statues of herself and other Dalit icons
but denies encouraging a personality cult.
'Self-glorification'
The Supreme Court has appointed a three-member expert group to ensure
the park is built according to guidelines.
It had ordered the Mayawati government to stop building work in October 2009.
Mayawati, seen here wearing a garland of 1,000-rupee notes (Photo:
Krishan Saith)
Huge numbers of statues commissioned by Ms Mayawati can be seen in the
state capital, Lucknow, and other towns and cities of Uttar Pradesh.
Critics accuse her of self-glorification. She accuses them of
conspiring against her.
Uttar Pradesh is one of India's most deprived states, with a high
crime rate and poor health indicators.
Ms Mayawati's spending on statues and memorials has been described as
"shameful" by India's Home Minister P Chidambaram.
Last year, she unveiled 15 new memorials, including two of herself.
Statues of political leaders are generally put up posthumously, but Ms
Mayawati says that belief is outdated.
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