Memorials constructed during Maya regime exempted from tax

Parks and memorials constructed with thousands of crores of rupees during the Mayawati regime had been exempted from house and water tax by her government.

"An order in this regard was issued by the then principal secretary Durga Shanker Mishra in December few days before the Assembly polls were announced by the Election Commission of India," official sources said here.

"As per the provisions of the Nagar Nigam Act, such memorials cannot be exempted from house and water tax. As per the section 177 only historical buildings are exempted," the sources said.

Keeping in mind this provision, the then principal secretary issued an order to the Municipal Commissioner Lucknow in which parks and memorials were specifically specified.

Mayawati constructed a number of memorials and parks in honour of Dalit icons in the state capital. She also got her statues installed at a number of places along with his.

Work on the memorials, which started in 1995 when Mayawati became the CM for the first time was carried out on a grand scale when she came to power for the fourth time in 2007.