Lucknow, Jan 20 (IANS) Chief Minister Mayawati is set to raise a security force to protect memorials and statues erected by her government in Uttar Pradesh even as the Supreme Court has questioned the allocation of thousands of crores of rupees for these monuments.

'The new force will be named State Special Zone Security Force and will be headed by an officer of the rank of inspector-general, who will have a superintendent and a few deputy superintendents to assist him,' state home secretary Mahesh Gupta told IANS here.

The new force will be designated to guard the Ambedkar Memorials at both Lucknow and Noida, besides the Luckow-based Kanshi Ram Memorial, Kanshi Ram Sanskritik Sthal, Rama Bai Ambedkar Maidan Buddha Vihar and Kanshi Ram Green Eco Garden that was coming up on a sprawling 120-acre plot of land vacated by shifting the district jail to the city outskirts.

Most of these were built by the present government of Mayawati, who is also chief of the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP). These cost Rs.6,000 crore to the state exchequer, and the Supreme Court had Tuesday questioned the allocation of such a huge sum for memorials.

But Gupta said: 'The state cabinet has already approved the proposal and a bill to that effect would be tabled before the state assembly during its forthcoming session with effect from tomorrow.'

A special drive would be undertaken to recruit about 1,000 sepoys soon after the state assembly passes a legislation for creation of the force.

The idea to pass a legislation was mooted to give the force permanent status, as a similar force created by the last Mayawati government in 2003 was disbanded by her successor Mulayam Singh Yadav.

'The earlier force would be disbanded because it was not raised by any Act of the state legislature but only by an administrative order that could be overruled by a similar subsequent order. But now that an act is to be passed by the state legislature, it cannot be reversed without adopting the same process,' pointed out state BSP president Swami Prasad Maurya.