Maya favourite sandstone untouchable for SP

Lucknow: The enduring quality, durability and artistic appeal of sandstone have been recognized since the Mughal era to build monuments like the historic Red Fort. But lakhs of tonnes of sandstone lie unused in abundance in the state because the Akhilesh Yadav government is averse to use of this material, probably because it was used liberally by Samajwadi Party’s archrival Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati to build memorials and parks in the name of Dalit icons like Baba Sahib Bhim Rao Ambedkar and Chhatrapati Shahuji Maharaj.At one time, SP chief Mulayam Singh Yadav had announced he would bulldoze the statues and memorials built under Mayawati regime, though that never happened.
What happened, instead, was that use of sandstone and its mining stopped since the time Samajwadi Party came back to power in 2012. “It is regrettable that political vendetta unleashed by the ruling Samajwadi Party has put natural resources in jeopardy,” said a senior officer of the Directorate of Geology and Mining of Uttar Pradesh (DGMUP) speaking to the TOI on the condition of anonymity. UP has tremendous sandstone resources mainly in Mirzapur, Agra and Lalitpur districts.
Mirzapur’s sandstone is rated best and it was this reason this was used by Mughal emperors to build Red Fort in Delhi and Fatehpur Sikri in Agra. Sandstone of Agra and Jhansi quarries is also good but rated second after Mirzapur. Sandstone was preferred by architects of emperors as its physical qualities are matchless. Its colour does not fade, the density is high and the tensile strength is very good, besides facilitating slow leaching, easily availability and being cost-effective.
Realising its physical strength, former chief minister Mayawati chose sandstone as the prime construction material for her dream projects mainly monuments and parks in the name of Dalit icons. When she started her dream projects in her 1993-95 regime, chief architect for landscaping was world famous artist Satish Gujaral.
Later, Mayawati was criticized and even ridiculed for installing large statues of herself in the memorials. From the CAG to the Lokayukta, the investigating agencies castigated the BSP government for splurging government funds on memorials. The Lokayukta stated that crores of rupees went into transportation of sandstones from one place to another during the construction of the Mayawati’s dream projects.
Despite the criticism, Mayawati’s dream projects have turned into landmarks of Lucknow and Gautam Buddha Nagar. Even Akhilesh Yadav government has praised Ambedkar Park as one of the main tourist spots. Ambedkar Park and Prernna Sthal draw visitors in large numbers.
As soon as BSP regime came to an end in March 2012, the mining of the sandstones also came to an end in Mirzapur, barring a few cases of mining for a small quantity. “If one compares mining of sandstone before 2012 and after the Samajwadi Party formed its government, it is not even 5%,” said a senior officer in the DGM.
He added that construction activities are on in full swing in government as well as the private sector and sandstone could be used in large quantities to generate revenue and royalty. But the mining department in the Samajwadi Party regime are looking away from sandstone mines. “When one of our officers had in the beginning enquired about use of the sandstone in buildings, he was snubbed by a senior member of the ruling party and since then the sandstone has been lying untapped.