She's been slammed repeatedly in court, and outside, for the elaborate parks that she's commissioned. But finally, Mayawati has scored a major point.

Her 33-hectare park in Noida, being built at a cost of close to Rs 700 crore, does not violate environmental guidelines. At least that's what the Central government has told the Supreme Court on Thursday. The park lies next to the Okhla bird sanctuary. Environmentalists have been arguing that the large-scale construction of statues in the park will seriously endanger the Okhla Bird Sanctuary in the area. They took her to court on the grounds that she did not bother to apply for a certificate from the Ministry of Environment and Forests.

She doesn't need it, says the concerned ministry, mainly because the construction in the park does not cross what's legally allowed.

The government says that if the court wants, it's willing to evaluate the park's impact on the environment. But it also points out that with the Noida park almost complete, the appraisal would serve little purpose.

Mayawati is spending close to Rs 2000 crore on various parks that she describes as memorials to Dalit leaders, including herself. Over the past month, the Supreme Court has taken on Mayawati repeatedly over using taxpayers' money for these memorials. In September, the Supreme Court had ordered construction at Lucknow memorials to stop while it reviews the issue.