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Gandhi Hill cries for attention
The imposing Gandhi Memorial built at a height of 500-ft atop a hill in the heart of the city looks as if an evidence for a monumental
Vijayawada: The imposing Gandhi Memorial built at a height of 500-ft atop a hill in the heart of the city looks as if an evidence for a monumental neglect. The memorial built in memory of the Father of the Nation and Apostle of Peace Mahatma Gandhi is seemingly out of reach for the much-needed facelift for long. The hill came to be known as Gandhi Hill after the location of the memorial with that name, showcasing a library, planetarium with a sound and light show facility on the life of Mahatma.
The city’s history and evolution are closely intertwined by Gandhi with his presence in the Indian Independence Congress held in 1922. The place which hosted the congress is fondly called as Gandhi Nagar.
But the memorial with such a hoary past is crying for attention. The very objective of promoting the place as a tourist attraction and centre of propagating Gandhian ideals to the present-day generation is hardly getting realised, it is alleged. The planetarium, which is badly in need of renovation, has remained closed for visitors, according to Durga Prasad, secretary of the Gandhi Hills Foundation.
Gandhi Hills reportedly received Rs 3 crore for renovation sometime ago with an initiative from the then Union Minister for Tourism K Chiranjeevi. But, the tragic part of its story is that the management of the foundation has failed to utilise the funds for the purpose for which they were granted, it is alleged. The foundation was said to have utilised only Rs 60 lakh, remaining amount was unspent and lapsed due to the former’s inability to accomplish the task within the specified timeline.
Even as the AP Council of Science and Technology proposed to establish a Science Museum at the Gandhi Hill as an added attraction to the Gandhi memorial, the organisers of the hill foundation were said to have failed to grab the opportunity. As a result, the museum moved to Bhavanipuram down the hills, it is said.
The poor condition of the Gandhi Memorial has moved the city stalwarts like former minister Vadde Sobhanadhreeswara Rao. He squarely blamed the Gandhi Hill Foundation chairman and BJP MP Gokaraju Ganga Raju at a media conference a few days ago for allegedly stalling the progress of the Gandhi Memorial. He appealed to the State government to free the Gandhi Hill from the control of Ganga Raju and make way for its development. Ganga Raju, talking to The Hans India, denied the charge that he was hindering the development of the Gandhi Hills.
“In fact, it witnessed development only during my tenure as chairman of the Gandhi Hill Foundation and I have been funding the project from my own pocket”, he asserted.
Meanwhile, D Venkateswara Rao, director of Gandhian Study Centre at YN College, feels the need to keep the Gandhi Memorial alive and let the latter’s message be passed on to the posterity.
Noor Shaik
