Indore museum awaits facelift

INDORE: Within a stone's throw of Kamla Nehru zoo, which has gained immense popularity among visitors in recent days, is the city's very own Central Museum yearning for a decent footfall. This repository of the past is facing a host of problems like setting up of seven galleries as part of museum's renovation. A victim of official apathy, a tender is yet to be floated for its renovation.
Initially, the estimated cost of the construction of galleries, along with the extension of library, was Rs 1.75 crore but no tender has been floated so far," said museum curator Prakash Paranjape. The work was supposed to kick-start in 2011 itself but no one is ready to take up the job since the cost of construction material has escalated since then.
The library has an impressive collection of encyclopedia, books on history, culture and paintings. The construction work would start only when the tender is finalized. "The tender was likely to be revised," Paranjape added.
"To construct seven galleries within the allotted budget is not possible as already the construction cost has gone up appreciably. An additional amount of nearly Rs 20 lakh is required for completion of work," said sub-engineer S R Verma.
Regarding the collection at the museum, another official Ashutosh Mahashabde said, "The museum has antiquities of Mohenjo-daro, Hinglajgarh gallery, coins from 6th century BC and those of Ahilya Bai Holkar era, 19th century painting, contemporary art, arms gallery, including swords, pistols and revolvers."
"Three more galleries will be built in which the sculptures will be classified according to three different eras, - Jain, Buddha and Vaishnav," he added.