CUTTACK: Sincerity of the State Government in respect of preserving the memories of freedom fighters can be well perceived if status of a British-era jail at Dargha Bazaar here is taken into consideration. The proposal to develop a portion of historic Ward 15 of the jail into a freedom fighters’ memorial museum seems to be in doldrums even though the foundation stone for the same was laid by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on January 23, 2010.
Though the Cuttack Development Authority (CDA) had proposed for conservation and all-round development of the Ward 15 of the Old Jail, the project has remained a non-starter. Due to lack of maintenance, tiles and plasters are sliding from its roof and walls. While stray dogs and bovines make easy access into the heritage structure in the day time, it turns a haunting place for antisocials for consuming liquor and drugs after evening.
As per reports, the jail was built in 1881 with a civil ward constituting a 70 ft x 34 ft room to accommodate 100 civ i l prisoners. The prison functioned as a district jail after creation of separate Bihar and Odisha province in 1912. Later, it became a central jail when Odisha got separate province status in 1936. The jail was then shifted from Cuttack to Choudwar between 1984 and 1988.
Though a major portion of the jail was later demolished by the civic body, the Ward 15, which had housed eminent freedom fighters like Nabakrushna Choudhury, Harekrushna Mahtab, Gopabandhu Choudhury, Pranakrushna Choudhury, Malati Choudhury, Ramadevi and Annapurna Moharana, was left and kept for future glimpse. Sources said the Cuttack chapter of the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH) had proposed conversion of the existing structure of Ward 15 into an enclosed memorial with a flame and names of all prominent freedom fighters who were jailed during the Independence struggle.
However, as the proposal was not upto the mark, the CDA had asked the agency to submit fresh proposals. The INTACH then prepared a revised plan and submitted a fresh proposal to CDA with an estimated cost of `4.75 crore. Though the file was sent to the Housing and Urban Development Department in last December, it is yet to be approved. Vice-Chairman of CDA Sarat Chandra Nayak said, “Work for giving a facelift to the heritage structure will be started after INTACH’s proposal is approved by the State Government.”