Lucknow to get its Waste-to-Wonder Park on Diwali

Lucknow, Oct 19 (IANS) Lucknow will get its first waste-to-wonder park called 'UP Darshan Park' housing small replicas of 16 famous monuments of the state on Diwali.

A.K. Singh, chief engineer of Lucknow Development Authority (LDA), which has been tasked with construction of the project on seven acres of land in Gomti Nagar, said, "Artistes are working on a war-footing to complete the park by November 10."

The park will have replicas that span from the Taj Mahal to the Ram temple. The 16 other larger-than-life scrap installations, include the Mahaparinirvana site of Gautam Buddha in Kushinagar and the Vindhyavasini temple, among others.

Models of monuments to come up at the park include Bara Imambara, Lucknow Vidhan Sabha, Jhansi Fort, Banke Bihari and Vrindavan temples of Mathura, Devipatan Mandir of Balrampur, Taj Mahal, Kashi Vishwanath Temple of Varanasi and Dudhwa National Park.

According to the Lucknow Development Authority (LDA), this park promises to be a delightful experience, not only for the city's residents but also for tourists.

It offers a glimpse into the renowned landmarks of Uttar Pradesh, as well as various statues in the form of installations.

"All these statues and installations are made from scrap materials," said LDA official Bhupen Pratap Singh.

He also informed that the park is being set up in hybrid mode, with the LDA partnering Zep Tech Systems Pvt Ltd for the construction.

He also said that 60,000 ornamental trees have been planted on the premises spanning over 10 to 12 acres of land. The park is expected to cost around Rs 6 crore and is being modelled on the lines of such parks in Delhi and Indore.

The replicas are being made from iron scraps and other waste materials.

Experts who supervised construction of the parks in the two cities are part of the project in Lucknow as well. Waste materials being used in the models include scraps of four-wheelers, rolling shutters, rusted almirah, tyre rims, bicycles frames and household iron waste, among others.

Besides, an open-air theatre, food court and other facilities will also be constructed in the park. Chemical treatments on the models will make them last for several decades.