No trace of Gandhi at Agra memorial

A Mahatma Gandhi memorial in the Taj city lies in shambles.

The memorial is near Etmauddaula, a monument that attracts only some tourists each day despite being among the first buildings from the Mughal era to be constructed in white marble, and not red sandstone.

Its fate is shared by the nearby memorial to Mahatma Gandhi.

Before independence, the Gandhi Smarak on the banks of the Yamuna was a hub of Gandhian activities. Sarvodaya workers would gather near it. These days, it has become a den for vagabonds.

"The Agra Municipal Corporation is supposed to be the custodian of this property. But all they do is use it as a storage facility," said Surendra Baghael, who lives nearby.

The memorial building is actually the house where Mahatma Gandhi stayed for 11 days in 1929 while being treated by an ayurvedic doctor here.

The building was renovated and opened to the public in 2008 by then Agra mayor Anjula Singh Mahaur, who had promised that it would become a place worth visiting for tourists.

But it soon fell into disrepair. Some even use the vast open space near the building for defecation.

In August 2008, the Gandhi memorial made headlines after statues from a 300-year-old temple within the premises disappeared.