HC seeks Centre reply on maintenance of Gandhi samadhi

The Delhi High Court today sought responses of the Centre and Rajghat Samadhi Committee on a PIL alleging that the monument set up in memory of Mahatma Gandhi is not being properly maintained.
A bench of Chief Justice G Rohini and Justice Jayant Nath issued notice to the Centre, the committee and North Delhi Municipal Corporation, in whose jurisdiction the area falls, and sought their replies by March 9.
The order came on the plea filed by Shyam Narayan Chouksey who claimed that the samadhi of Gandhi "was not at all being properly and cleanly maintained".
He alleged that despite bringing the issue to the attention of the committee, which is entrusted with maintaining the monument, and the Ministry of Urban Development (MoUD), there has been no change in the situation.

In the petition filed through advocates Abhinav Shrivastava and Sameer Jain, Chouksey submitted photos of the various deficiencies that he had come across when he had visited the monument in 2014 and then again last year, when he claims the situation had worsened.
He sought directions to MoUD to "stringently apply principles of cleanliness and sanitation at the Rajghat Samadhi, failing which the Ministry should be held liable and penalised for the same".

It also sought directions to MoUD "to issue strict instructions to the President and Secretary of the Rajghat Samadhi Committee to perform their duties strictly as provided under the Act and Rules and to make the Rajghat Samadhi a world class monument".

The petition has also sought directions to the Rajghat Samadhi Committee "to carry out repair and maintenance work".
"To ensure proper maintenance and upkeep of the Samadhi a mechanism should be evolved by MoUD so that once the things are set right at the Samadhi similar situation should not develop again in future.
In his plea, Chouksey has sought "initiation of action
against Rajghat Samadhi Committee and/or the government officials who failed in their statutory duty to preserve, protect and secure the sacrosanct and pious place and have injured the sentiments and pride of common masses".
Referring to deficiencies, he has alleged there are betel stains at the entrance to the samadhi, floor tiles are broken, rubbish is found to be lying around and closer to the monument the white marble has gone black due to lack of cleaning, while the green carpet laid for visitors to walk is damaged.

"Damaged wooden pieces, machines, brooms and so many useless things are lying scattered in the 'parikrama'. This looks not only ugly but is very much hazardous to the visitors who move around," he has said in the petition.
The petition also states that on both sides of the VIP entrance, the flower pots are kept but with dried marigold plants "which looks not only ugly but also shows gross negligence on the part of horticulture department of Central Public Works Department (CPWD)".
Even the two toilets there are in very poor condition and unclean and at many places sewage lines are exposed and filled with garbage, it has said and that "these have become breeding place for mosquitoes and other insects".