Statue of former PM faces neglect

Ravinder Sood

Palampur, January 27

The statue of the first Prime Minister of India Jawaharlal Nehru installed in the heart of town is in the state of neglect and is in dire need of maintenance.

This statue was installed 30 years ago at Nehru Chowk by the by the local Lions Club. In the absence of proper upkeep, the statue is in bad shape today.

Palampur Municipal Council maintained the statue for years but of late the authorities have turned a blind eye to the upkeep of the statue. The platform of the statue has developed cracks and the statue itself is in a dilapidated condition. No paint, whitewashing or polishing have been done in the past several years.

Senior officers and political leaders of the area who daily pass through Nehru Chowk are not concerned with the poor condition of the statue of the late Prime Minister.

A senior officer of the local administration, when contacted, said that there were no funds with the local authorities for the maintenance of statues. Therefore, their condition had gone from bad to worse.

He disclosed that even for the repairs and replacement of statues of martyrs installed in the town their families and general public had made contributions. Only then these statues were renovated or repaired. Even for the replacement of the statue of Neta Ji Subhash Chander Bose, a local trust headed by Yogi Raj Swami Amar Jyoti contributed.

Enquiries revealed that the funds for repair and maintenance of statues are released by the Languages and Culture Department, Government of Himachal. The Deputy Commissioner’s office had sought funds for the repair of these statues two years ago but no funds had been released till date. Therefore, most of the statues are in the town are in a bad shape.

Caption: The statue of Jawaharlal Nehru in a bad shape. Photo: Ravinder Sood