West Champaran, April 10: Statues of Mahatma Gandhi and his wife Kasturba Gandhi are gathering dust in the storeroom of Bhitiharwa Gandhi Ashram, awaiting installation for the past six years.

The district administration was supposed to install the statues as part of the beautification plan of the ashram, founded by the Mahatma at the time of the Satyagraha Movement which was launched from Champaran. A fund of Rs 25 lakh was provided in 1998-99 by then Governor A.R. Kidwai for the renovation.

The statues were delivered to the ashram in 2005. However, the authorities realised the two statues were made of fibre instead of bronze and hence, stalled the installation.

The statues, since then, have been lying in the storeroom of the ashram.

Curator of Bhitiharwa Gandhi Sangrahalaya Om Prakash Pandey told The Telegraph: “Two bronze statues were to be installed by the district administration, but no one asked why it did not happen.”

He said instead of getting the statues installed, the district administration locked them in the storeroom to ensure their safety.

Gandhian and social activist Anirudh Prasad Chourasiya, who is also the founder secretary of Kasturba Gandhi Girls School, Bhitiharwa Ashram, told The Telegraph that owing to the threat from storms, the fibre statues were not allowed to be installed.