Eram village witnessed a flurry of activities on Friday with ministers, politicians and government officials reportedly making a beeline for the Saheed Stambh here.
The memorial was constructed in memory of 29 freedom fighters who fell to the bullets of British police on September 28, 1942.
While dignitaries pay tributes to the slain fighters on Saheed Divas, deafening silence prevails at the memorial, about 55 km from Bhadrak town, a day later.
The village had witnessed a massacre similar to the Jallianwala Bagh, when the British policemen fired on 10,000 people attending a meeting at Eram melana padia. The police had blocked the only passage to the ground surrounded by rivers on three sides.
However, in the absence of government patronage, there is not even a proper road to the memorial. “Though the place was announced a tourist destination in 1980, no development work has been undertaken by the State Government. Even the road connecting the memorial to NH-5 needs repair, said Bhagaban Nayak, Secretary, Saheed Smruti Committee.
DIPRO Chandrakanta Nayak said the district administration was not aware of Saheed Divas being observed at the memorial.