Vadodara: Morning walkers and Congress activists staged a protest at Sayajibaug against the concretisation of the park in the city on Tuesday morning. The group led by Congress leaders raised slogans against the Vadodara Municipal Corporation (VMC), which has dug up a major portion of the lawns to build a monument in the public garden.“The civic body, which is supposed to maintain green spaces, is damaging one of the biggest gardens in the city. Sayajibaug is one of the few places that offers recreation space to Barodians. Instead of protecting the garden, VMC is creating a concrete jungle in it,” said Vijay Wadhwani, a regular morning walkers.Protestors gathered at the spot where the VMC has dug up the lawns and filled in loads of concrete for pillars of the monument. “There is no need to build such a monument in the garden. The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has banned construction within a few hundred metres of any heritage site. The Baroda Museum and Picture Art Gallery is a heritage building and the VMC itself is breaking the rules by constructing a giant monument just some distance from it,” said Ami Ravat, former Congress councillor who also runs an environmental NGO.The VMC has decided to build a torch-shaped structure ‘Sankalp for Stupa’ in the garden. “The project wasn’t discussed in the standing committee nor was it brought to the notice of the VMC general board. The municipal commissioner used his special powers to pass and execute the project,” Rawat said.“Despite our opposition, VMC has continued the construction and are now doing the work at night. We will continue our agitation against the project. A major portion of the garden has already been either concretised or closed to the general public. If we don’t raise our voices now, the garden will lose its charm completely,” said Narendra Rawat, former Congress city unit president.The protestors raised banners and walked through Sayajibaug before gathering outside the municipal commissioner’s bungalow.
