National museum is in a shambles: Panel

Lamenting lack of proper upkeep of the National Museum in Delhi, a parliamentary panel has expressed fear that that if the same sorry state of affairs continues, the museum may go into private hands.

The standing committee on culture and transport headed by CPM’s Sitaram Yechury has said there is a strong reason to believe that the government has failed to provide necessary attention to the museum.

In its report submitted to parliament, the panel has rejected the government’s defense of “lack of manpower” for the problems.

As per the report, the panel has blamed the authorities for “creating all the mess’’. The committee said mainly due to shortage of manpower, the work of verification of artifacts could not be taken up and some of the galleries had to be closed for unjustified periods. Also, in several cases steps to fill up vacancies were taken years after they fell vacant, as a result, during 1994 to 2003, posts vacant for over one year were deemed to be abolished, and thus they could not be filled up, the report said.

If the government’s instruction that a post vacant for over one year may be deemed abolished continues mechanically with total disregard to its consequences to the functioning of this and other museums in the country, within a few years there would not be any employee to take its care, the report added. “Then the government would have a strong case to hand them (museums) over to private parties for running them’’, the panel warned.

There are 2,06,000 collections with the National Museum, but only 15,681, constituting 7.61% of the trove, are on display. Out of 26 galleries, 7 are closed for past three or four years. The Manuscript Gallery is closed since 2003.