Statues of leaders get new lease of life in Jhansi division

Jhansi: The residents of Jhansi , Jalaun and Lalitpur woke up to see all the statues in their districts shining and their vicinities spic and span on Friday morning. In a welcome initiative by the commissioner of Jhansi division, Ajay Shankar Pandey, around 101 statues of leaders, which otherwise stand neglected and are covered with dirt, were garlanded on Friday.
Pandey has directed officials of these three districts falling under his division that all the statues and the areas where they stand should be kept clean.He has also ordered that all statues should be garlanded every Friday between 9.00 am and 10.00 am by a government official. The officials are free to invite local leaders to do the honour.
He has nominated the municipal commissioner, along with ADMs, as the nodal head, and has also assigned each statue to an officer to ensure its upkeep on a regular basis. To keep a real time check, the divisional commissioner has made a whatsapp group where the concerned person has to post the photo of the garlanded statue every Friday for review.
Talking to TOI, the Jhansi commissioner said, “It is a shame that the statues of our leaders are left neglected and covered with mud and bird droppings only to be revived once a year on the leaders’ birthdays. We erect statues to pay respect to our beloved leaders, but neglecting these statues shows that we have no regard or respect for our leaders in reality. Hence, I have ordered for its weekly maintenance. This initiative will also evoke a deeper sense of gratitude and respect in citizens towards their leaders.