PORBANDAR, Jan 29: For the birthplace of the Father of the Nation, Porbandar has shown him an astonishing lack of respect. If public monuments are anything to go by, there is little to suggest that Gandhi is held in any esteem, that his ideals mean much in his hometown.The main memorial -- the Gandhi Smruti, his birthplace -- is neighbour to the main fish market, and suffers the fallout one would expect of such an asociation. On a recent visit, former police officer Kiran Bedi noted in the register her regret at the market's proximity to such a historic site, and followed it up with a letter to the then Chief Justice of India J S Verma, seeking judicial intervention. Acting on this, the Supreme Court appointed a three-member team of lawyers to investigate the matter.
The lawyers arrived in Porbandar on Tuesday and met the Porbandar collector. They also met leaders of the fishing industry, trying to find a way out of the mess that is Porbandar today.
Walking around the city, you realise quickly enoughthat the Mahatma's catchphrase, `Cleanliness is next to Godliness'', has been thrown to the foul, fish-smelling winds. Piles of garbage and heavy stench from the fish market greet visitors to Gandhi Smruti and the Kirti Mandir. Unmindful of its significance, residents and shopowners of the area use the building as a garbage dump. Stand inside the three-storeyed, 22-room house, and your attention is drawn more to the filth that surrounds you than to the sublimity the place represents.
Or take a walk to Gandhi's statue outside; covered in dust, bearing the frayed, dried-up remnants of an offering some believer had made some time ago, Gandhi is recognisable only by the pair of spectacles dangling precariously.
It could have been worse. One builder had recently begun construction of a small shopping complex encroaching on government land right under the noses of Archeological Survey of India, which preserves and protects the Gandhi Smruti.
The ASI's intervention and the subsequent stay order meant theconstruction was never completed; instead, it stands even uglier half-complete and blocks the path to the birth place of Kasturba Gandhi. As a result, few visitors are now taken beyond Gandhi Smruti to avoid embarassment.With the spotlight falling on civic mismanagement, the Porbandar Municipality has a lot to answer for. Its president Jeeviben Shiyal admits the town is not properly maintained properly and points to a shortage of funds.
``The revenue we get does not even suffice for paying salaries and meeting administrative expenses. We are unable to take up any maintenace operations for lack of funds'', he says.
Not surprisingly, municipality employees are yet to receive salaries from November last. According to Shiyal, the municipality's monthly revenue earnings are around Rs 30 lakh; the actual expenses, including salaries, is more than Rs 35 lakh.
Porbandar collector M K Das says he can take action only if there is a complaint from residents or the officials concerned. But that has a catch aswell: the fishing industry.
It's a powerful lobby here, most of it controlled by whatever remains of the once powerful mafia gangs and unions and nobody dares to raise voice against them as yet.
``After living under the fear of ganglords, gangwars and underworld killings for several years, few would think of protesting,'' remarked a shopkeeper at Manek Chowk, where Gandhi's house is located.
Fishing is a Rs 150-crore industry in Porbandar and for years the fishermen have been using the beaches and the port area to dry process hundreds of tons of fish daily, much of which is for exports markets.
But the fishermen are members of the Kharva community, which has been using the Nava Pada market ``for ages'', and are reluctant to shift base.
Violence down
Once known as the crime capital of Gujarat, Porbandar has been enjoying a period of relative peace for he past two-odd years. It had been bad for more than a decade, with the city turning into a haven for smugglers and armsdealers.
Ganglords like Sharman Munja, Bhura Munja and Santok Jadeja held sway over the local people, and it was only a concerted effort by then DSP Satish Varma which broke the back of the mafia. Since then a series of drives by successive police officers has kept the gangs in check.
Most the gang leaders have been in and out of jail and are, at present, lying low or on the run. In fact, today even women can be seen strolling around the streets late at night, a scene impossible to imagine even a few years ago. DSP G S Malik, who took over a month ago, says the crime rate in all areas has declined considerably since 1996.
Copyright © 1998 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.
