Former Uttar Pradesh chief minister Mayawati’s prized parks and memorials have started losing their VIP status, with the Akhilesh Yadav government drastically cutting down the workforce deployed in these monuments by almost 90 per cent.
The parks and memorials built during BSP rule in Lucknow had a sanctioned strength of 6835 workers in various categories.
In the new list, the state government had reduced the number of staffers to merely 565 staffers.
According to sources, the state government has decided to reduce the number of gardeners from 525 to 150.
“In any case, there is negligible greenery in the memorials and most of the area is covered by stones. There is no point in employing so many gardeners in places where there are no gardens,” said an official.
Ms Mayawati had employed 42 cooks to prepare different cuisines for VIP guests visiting the memorials. The state government has decided to do away with cooks. “You do not need cooks for a place where there are no guests,” reasoned the official.
The Akhilesh government is also bidding adieu to about 1,000 general cleaners, two elevator operators, 19 maintenance, operating and cleaning staffers for golf carts, 903 special workers for cleaning spittoons and toilets, 95 staffers for cleaning fountains, 24 lawn mower operators, laundry assistants, sculptors, bronze polishers and 100 people appointed especially to ring bells, among others.
Interestingly, majority of the workforce that is being booted out are dalits since the BSP government had ensured maximum employment for dalits in these memorials.
Official sources disclosed that majority of this workforce, in any case, was not found working in memorials for which they had been appointed — they were said to be working at the residence of BSP leaders.
However, the state government will ensure that the staff removed form the memorials is accommodated elsewhere — mainly in government guest houses run by estate and tourism department.
The state government has already decided to rent out open spaces in these parks and memorials for weddings and cultural events.
The administrative blocks in the memorials have also being converted into offices for chairmen of various corporations and commissions.
The BSP, meanwhile, has termed the decision a “deliberate victimisation” of a workforce that belongs to weaker sections of society. The BSP spokesman said that the dalits were watching the attitude of the Samajwadi government and would give them a befitting reply in the coming elections.