Yet, some photojournalists managed to shoot pictures showing hundreds of labourers at work at different sites - the Kanshi Ram memorial, Buddha Sthal, Ambedkar memorial and Prerna Bhawan in Lucknow.

Hundreds of vehicles kept moving in and out of the 25-acre Kanshi Ram memorial and the adjoining 40-acre land just acquired for laying an eco park, after the demolition and shifting of Lucknow jail. The permission for shifting the jail was granted by the apex court last month.

Significantly, the state government's senior counsel Satish Chandra Misra, who is also Mayawati's most trusted lieutenant and the BSP's Brahmin mascot, Tuesday orally assured the apex court that the state would abide by its direction to suspend the construction work.

State officials were tight-lipped on the issue.