Govt should consult all stakeholders on Sabarmati Ashram

The trust which manages Mahatma Gandhi's Sabarmati Ashram here said on Saturday that the government should consult all the stakeholders before going ahead with a proposed redevelopment. Members of 200-odd families residing in the neighboring Harijan Ashram staged a protest on Friday, fearing displacement due to the redevelopment.

Kartikeya Sarabhai, the trustee of the Sabarmati Ashram Preservation and Memorial Trust, said there should be a consultation process involving all the stakeholders regarding the proposal to redesign and redevelop the Ashram by merging different units to provide a holistic experience to visitors. Members of the families residing in Harijan Ashram (which were invited by Mahatma Gandhi to live there in the 1920s) protested on Friday, fearing that they may have to vacate their houses.

The protest was staged outside Hriday Kunj inside Sabarmati Ashram, which was Gandhi's home between 1918 and 1930. The redevelopment plan was first mooted by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

"We have been invited informally to the meetings being held with regard to the redevelopment as per Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision. But none of the officials have met the residents of the ashram," Sarabhai said. "There should be a consultative process involving all the stakeholders," he said.