MORANWALI, HOSHIARPUR, Oct 4 — Even as the nation recently remembered Shaheed-e-Azam Bhagat Singh on his birth anniversary, the memorial dedicated to his mother, Mata Vidyavati, lies in a state of neglect. Built in 2009 at a cost of ₹4.67 crore in her ancestral village of Moranwali, the Mata Vidyavati Smarak was envisioned to honor the family’s contribution to India’s freedom struggle.
The complex, which includes a multipurpose hall, auditorium, and library block, now shows signs of severe disrepair. Tiles and marbles have come loose, walls have lost their color, cracks have appeared, and fountains are missing. Statues are fading, toilets are broken, manhole covers stolen, iron grills missing, and wild vegetation and garbage have overrun the premises. A few days ago, the PSPCL cut the power supply over unpaid electricity bills.
“We try to manage things at our level, but we are helpless. This is government property. Without staff or funds, we cannot do much,” said village sarpanch Amandeep Singh Rai. “If the government can’t maintain it, they should hand it over to the panchayat with proper funding.”
The memorial was inaugurated by then Union Minister Ambika Soni and received some attention during the SAD-BJP government, but successive administrations have largely neglected it. RTI activist Parvinder Singh Kittna, who has repeatedly written to officials including the Chief Minister and Tourism Department heads, said the site has only received “empty promises.”
“The condition of the memorial is heart-breaking,” Kittna said. “The government must deploy staff and organize at least one official event here annually.”
Local advocate Jasveer Singh Rai echoed the concern, noting, “This could have been a place of pride. If a sports academy or football club had been started here, the youth would have connected with our heritage in a positive way.”
Villagers and the panchayat are now demanding that the government either take full responsibility for upkeep or formally transfer management to the local administration with a dedicated grant.
“We don’t want to see this monument turn into ruins,” said Sarpanch Rai. “We are ready to take responsibility — but the government must act before it’s too late. Either they take full responsibility or hand it over fully to the panchayat, providing funds for maintenance and development.”
