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Kushinagar: UP govt wants review of Maitreya Buddha project as farmers protest land acquisition

Adityanath has been reviewing the schemes of the previous Akhilesh government, including the Samajwadi pension scheme, Gomti river front project, smartphone scheme and cycle track project.

Yogi Adityanath, Yash Bharti Awards mulayam singh yadav, mulayam yogi, mulayam awards, Yash Bharti Awards review, indian express news, india news UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, meanwhile, ordered renaming of ‘Subh-e-Banaras’ cultural activities undertaken at Assi Ghat in Varanasi as ‘Suprabhatam’.(File Photo)

THE state government has put on hold the Maitreya Buddha project in Kushinagar, 14 years after it was conceived following the destruction of Bamiyan Buddha statue in Afghanistan. Officials have been reportedly been asked to reconsider the project, which is yet to take off.

“During a review, the chief minister said the project should be reconsidered, as farmers are protesting due to unnecessary land acquisition. The project could not take shape, as its implementation was not proper. The chief minister also said that the project should be thoroughly reviewed and stopped, as the trust involved in the project could not progress for the last 14 years,” said an government spokesperson on Friday.

The project was announced in 2003 during the regime of then CM Mayawati, in collaboration with Maitreya Project Trust — sponsored by Portland-based Foundation for Preservation of Mahayana Tradition. According to an MoU signed then, while the government was to give free land for the project, it was to be funded by Maitreya Project Trust.

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The project included the installation of a 500-feet-long bronze plated statue of Maitreya Buddha, considered as the place of ‘Mahanirvana’ (passing away) of Buddha and one of eight places of Buddhist pilgrimage. Initially proposed to be built on over 600 acres, housing a museum complex, temples, an audio-visual theatre as well as a library, the area was reduced to around 260 acres following protest by farmers over land acquisition. The farmers had alleged they were getting lower compensation for the land notified under the project. The size of the statue was also reduced.

In 2012, when the Akhilesh government came to power, he promised to start the project. Farmers were also promised higher compensation for their land. In August 2016, around 200 acres were officially handed over to the trust for the project, whose foundation stone was laid in 2013. The trust has decided to build two such projects — in Bodhgaya and Kushinagar.

Festive offer

Adityanath, meanwhile, ordered renaming of ‘Subh-e-Banaras’ cultural activities undertaken at Assi Ghat in Varanasi as ‘Suprabhatam’.

He also ordered a thorough review of the Yash Bharti Awards started by Mulayam Singh Yadav in 1994. He asked officers to look into the criteria, based on which the award was given and said that necessary action will be taken after the review. The CM noted that while giving awards, the dignity of those awarded should be kept in mind, as honouring ineligible people lowers the dignity of the award. Mulayam, then chief minister, had instituted the Yash Bharti Award — the highest award of the UP government. It is given to personalities for making notable contribution to the fields of literature, social work, medicine, film, science, journalism, handicrafts, culture, education, music, drama, sports, industry and astrology. Besides a commendation letter, shawl and Rs 11 lakh, it carries a pension Rs 50,000 per month on demand.

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Adityanath has been reviewing the schemes of the previous Akhilesh government, including the Samajwadi pension scheme, Gomti river front project, smartphone scheme and cycle track project.

First uploaded on: 22-04-2017 at 05:55 IST
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