Years of neglect is telling on a Mahatma Gandhi statue at Pachikota village under Korei block of Jajpur district. Dust has gathered on the statue. Anthills have also grown on the statute. The statue that braved the elements for over four decades is being neglected by the authorities.
The statue was installed near the Panchikota Upper Primary School in 1972. locals garland the statute only on the Gandhi Jayanti day. Civic neglect and public apathy has left the statue in a shambles.
This statue of the Father of the Nation remains a picture of neglect due to gross negligence on the part of the school authorities as it is the work of the headmaster of the school to take care of the statue, said Ramesh Singh, a villager.
“For many years, I have seen no Gandhi Jayanti being celebrated on October 2. This year too, there was nothing done either from the school authorities or the Government to mark the occasion. No one even cared to clean the white statue, let alone garland it,” said Bhikari Das, another villager.
When contacted, headmaster Manoj Acharya said, “We will soon clean the statue and its nearby areas. Anthills are growing in these areas due to faulty construction of the statue for which we will soon plaster the whole area.”