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Uttar Pradesh to have world's tallest Buddha statue
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NewsByte on 25 March, 2008 10:54:00
 
Lucknow: Decks are being cleared for the installation of the world's tallest
Buddha statue in Kushinagar town of eastern Uttar Pradesh. Uttar Pradesh Chief
Minister Mayawati,today, directed officials to speed up the acquisition and
transfer 600 acres of land required for the Rs 10 billion project to be funded
and undertaken by the global Maitreyi group. UP Chief Secretary Prashant Kumar
Misra said “Of the 600 acres required for the project, we need to acquire
only about 300 acres while the rest is government land, the government had
already started the acquisition process. The whole project would not involve any
major displacement of people and not more than 70-80 farmers would be involved.
We have worked out a handsome rehabilitation package for the farmers who would
get displaced on account of the project." The project involves installation of a
152-metre-tall bronze statue of Lord Buddha along with a giant meditation
centre, an international university, a state-of-art world-class hospital and a
museum. The project also envisages an entertainment complex in the neighbourhood
that would include an amusement park and a five-star hotel.(IANS)