Raj Ghat Mahatma Gandhi memorial: Delhi High Court has said that the condition at Mahatma Gandhi’s memorial at Rajghat in New Delhi is pathetic. The court has said that the place is not maintained properly. Observing that the place which is visited by every international leader who comes to India, the Delhi HC said, “Is this the condition of Rajghat. There is no single person who comes to India and does not go to Raj Ghat in Delhi and Taj Mahal in Agra. Every international leader goes there.”

Delhi High Court’s criticism came on a day when the 70th death anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi was observed. The court had said that “Hardly anything appears to have been done by the Rajghat Samadhi Committee to maintain Rajghat. This shows a pathetic state of affairs.” The Delhi HC has appointed advocate Satyakam as a local commissioner. Satyakam will visit Rajghat and inspect the place along with the counsel for parties and file a report. A bench of Acting Chief Justice Gita Mittal and Justice C Hari Shankar has listed the matter for further hearing on April 15.

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The bench of the Delhi court made this observation while hearing a public interest litigation (PIL). The PIL had alleged that Mahatma Gandhi’s memorial at Raj Ghat was not being properly maintained.

The Delhi High Court had even directed the chief engineer of Central Public Works Department to personally visit the Rajghat Samadhi and inspect all related premises.

This is not the first that the Court has expressed such anguish. Earlier, it had expressed displeasure over keeping a donation box at Rajghat. It had observed that keeping such donation box is nothing but ‘disrespectful’ gesture to the Father of the Nation.

Meanwhile, Shyam Narayan Chouksey, who had filed the plea, claimed that the memorial “was not at all being properly and cleanly maintained”. He claimed that maintenace is not done despite the issue being brought to the notice of the Committee and Ministry of Urban Development (MoUD), there has been no change in the situation.

Chouksey has also alleged that there were betel stains at the entrance, broken floor tiles, rubbish lying all around the monument. He also claimed that the white marble has turned black due to lack of cleaning. He said that the green carpet laid for visitors to walk was damaged. Apart from these two toilets were in very poor condition and unclean. At many places sewage lines are exposed and filled with garbage, becoming “breeding place for mosquitoes and other insects”.