Azad memorial hall in disrepair as cleaning staff spooked by ghost
Above: Stray dogs keep wandering into various rooms that are in disarray; below: lawns and fountains in disrepair; PIC: MAHENDRA KOLHE
With malfunctioning fountains, elevators and a lawn drying up, the landmark space is in desolate shape. While staff insist there is a supernatural being present, PMC says it’s a lack of funds
A well-loved and iconic landmark in Pune, the Maulana Abul Kalam Azad Memorial hall has fallen into dismal shape for the past few months due to lack of maintenance by the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC). The reason is rather bizarre — staff deployed to maintain the premises claim that it is haunted. They even specified that the kothi area (a small room for storing equipment) near the lawn is where the ghost is most frequently visible.
With these rumours abounding, the spot has grown increasingly deserted, with overgrown bushes, waste and stray dogs surrounding it. While cleaning staff may have been spooked by the ghost, local miscreants are evidently not afraid of supernatural beings, and blithely hold late-night gatherings here, usually fuelled by alcohol.
As a result of all this, revenue, too, has plummeted.
Fed up with the situation, the Koregaon Park Citizen Action Committee has complained to PMC commissioner Saurabh Rao. They have also written to PMC’s bhavan and garden departments, asking that the memorial premises be maintained.
Sangita Tiwari, a member of the committee, said, “Crores were spent on building the memorial and now the authorities are neglecting its maintenance based on a foolish rumour. Air-conditioning has been shut down in the library and the hall, as is the elevator. There is no proper cleanliness either. The fountains are out order, the plants have dried up.”
“These rumours of a ghost sighting are being spread deliberately by miscreants who have destroyed the entire lawn. How is it that this ghost doesn’t bother them while they enjoy their midnight parties on the lawn?” demanded Tiwari.
Vijay Jagtap, another member of the committee, added, “There are four corporators in this area, all of whom have neglected the memorial. The ghost story is deliberately being spread to ensure no events are held here, while miscreants continue to occupy the premises.”
Harping further on the cost, Ibrahim Shaikh, yet another member, said, “This memorial was built at a cost of Rs 7 crore. An additional Rs 93 lakh is allocated for maintenance. All of this is going to waste for nothing but a rumour. We have decided to bust the myth — we will be hosting an iftar party on the lawn.”
“The real ghost is the EVMs stored inside the auditorium. Under the garb of protecting them, the entire one-acre auditorium cum recreation hall has been facing difficulties. These machines need to be shifted,” Shaikh added.
For the staff at the memorial, however, the discomfort is very real.
“Many of us are not willing to work in the lawn area. They claim that a small room called the kothi bears the presence of a ghost. I have not seen anything myself, but I avoid the night shift, too,” admitted one of them, requesting anonymity.
Another staff member said, “The ghost story emerged very recently. Even residents of the area claimed to have seen the spirit on the fencing wall which divides a nearby slum and the memorial. The proximity with the crematorium and Lingayat graveyard has added to the rumours. This has also become a reason for people not hiring the lawn and cultural halls.”
However, according to PMC officials, the reason behind poor maintenance isn’t of a ghostly nature, but the very real problem of funds.
Said Ramesh Salunke, PMC’s garden superintendent, who is in charge of the maintenance, “We heard about the rumours, but there is no truth to them. We are facing a shortage of staff and budget due to which we cannot maintain the premises. We require at least Rs 12 lakh to re-create the lawns and repair the fountains and we have only a staff of 12 to maintain 12 gardens in the area. We have written to the Bhavan department for the budget allocation.”
Superintending engineer Shriniwas Kandul of the Bhavan department could not be contacted, but an officer from the department said, “We take proper care of the building — most of the problem are in the premises which comes under garden department. They have demanded a supplementary budget from us, but the work could have easily been done with the funds already sanctioned.”
Rubbishing the rumours, Nandini Jadhav, executive president of Pune Maharashtra Andhashraddha Nirmulan Samiti (MANS), said, “There are always vested interests at the root of such rumours. I don’t believe educated people in an area like Koregaon Park will trust such stories. We will visit the spot soon and expose this falsity.”
█ Many of us are not willing to work in the lawn area. They claim that a small room called the kothi bears the presence of a ghost. I have not seen anything myself, but I avoid the night shift, too
— A staff member deployed at the premises
A well-loved and iconic landmark in Pune, the Maulana Abul Kalam Azad Memorial hall has fallen into dismal shape for the past few months due to lack of maintenance by the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC). The reason is rather bizarre — staff deployed to maintain the premises claim that it is haunted. They even specified that the kothi area (a small room for storing equipment) near the lawn is where the ghost is most frequently visible.
With these rumours abounding, the spot has grown increasingly deserted, with overgrown bushes, waste and stray dogs surrounding it. While cleaning staff may have been spooked by the ghost, local miscreants are evidently not afraid of supernatural beings, and blithely hold late-night gatherings here, usually fuelled by alcohol.
This, despite the presence of two security guards and a policeman. Cops have been deployed here to guard the electronic voting machines (EVMs) stored since last year’s civic election.
As a result of all this, revenue, too, has plummeted.
Fed up with the situation, the Koregaon Park Citizen Action Committee has complained to PMC commissioner Saurabh Rao. They have also written to PMC’s bhavan and garden departments, asking that the memorial premises be maintained.
Sangita Tiwari, a member of the committee, said, “Crores were spent on building the memorial and now the authorities are neglecting its maintenance based on a foolish rumour. Air-conditioning has been shut down in the library and the hall, as is the elevator. There is no proper cleanliness either. The fountains are out order, the plants have dried up.”
“These rumours of a ghost sighting are being spread deliberately by miscreants who have destroyed the entire lawn. How is it that this ghost doesn’t bother them while they enjoy their midnight parties on the lawn?” demanded Tiwari.
Vijay Jagtap, another member of the committee, added, “There are four corporators in this area, all of whom have neglected the memorial. The ghost story is deliberately being spread to ensure no events are held here, while miscreants continue to occupy the premises.”
Harping further on the cost, Ibrahim Shaikh, yet another member, said, “This memorial was built at a cost of Rs 7 crore. An additional Rs 93 lakh is allocated for maintenance. All of this is going to waste for nothing but a rumour. We have decided to bust the myth — we will be hosting an iftar party on the lawn.”
“The real ghost is the EVMs stored inside the auditorium. Under the garb of protecting them, the entire one-acre auditorium cum recreation hall has been facing difficulties. These machines need to be shifted,” Shaikh added.
For the staff at the memorial, however, the discomfort is very real.
“Many of us are not willing to work in the lawn area. They claim that a small room called the kothi bears the presence of a ghost. I have not seen anything myself, but I avoid the night shift, too,” admitted one of them, requesting anonymity.
Another staff member said, “The ghost story emerged very recently. Even residents of the area claimed to have seen the spirit on the fencing wall which divides a nearby slum and the memorial. The proximity with the crematorium and Lingayat graveyard has added to the rumours. This has also become a reason for people not hiring the lawn and cultural halls.”
However, according to PMC officials, the reason behind poor maintenance isn’t of a ghostly nature, but the very real problem of funds.
Said Ramesh Salunke, PMC’s garden superintendent, who is in charge of the maintenance, “We heard about the rumours, but there is no truth to them. We are facing a shortage of staff and budget due to which we cannot maintain the premises. We require at least Rs 12 lakh to re-create the lawns and repair the fountains and we have only a staff of 12 to maintain 12 gardens in the area. We have written to the Bhavan department for the budget allocation.”
Superintending engineer Shriniwas Kandul of the Bhavan department could not be contacted, but an officer from the department said, “We take proper care of the building — most of the problem are in the premises which comes under garden department. They have demanded a supplementary budget from us, but the work could have easily been done with the funds already sanctioned.”
Rubbishing the rumours, Nandini Jadhav, executive president of Pune Maharashtra Andhashraddha Nirmulan Samiti (MANS), said, “There are always vested interests at the root of such rumours. I don’t believe educated people in an area like Koregaon Park will trust such stories. We will visit the spot soon and expose this falsity.”
█ Many of us are not willing to work in the lawn area. They claim that a small room called the kothi bears the presence of a ghost. I have not seen anything myself, but I avoid the night shift, too
— A staff member deployed at the premises
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