NGMA Delhi director Rajiv Lochan quits office

National Gallery of Modern Art ( NGMA) director Rajiv Lochan is leaving office. Lochan served as the director of the country's premier government owned art gallery for over a decade and a half. Sending out an official farewell letter, Lochan summarised his stay as, "It been 16 exciting years of suspense, problems and resolution. We innovated by introducing multimedia components to the exhibition; organising seminars for the cognoscenti and summer camps for children which have steadily grown in size and content; publishing some excellent books and catalogues and building up the Art Shops."

Interestingly, a petition has been filed at Delhi High Court accusing NGMA officers of irregularities in the management of the art gallery, this week. The petition claimed that no action had been taken by the NGMA officials in spite of irregularities that came to light during the audit conducted by Auditor General and threats of the costly art works being stolen. NGMA, which is governed by the Ministry of Culture, was set up in 1954 with branches in Mumbai and Bangalore.