A portion of Nilagiri palace has collapsed owing to lack of maintenance. The palace requires immediate restoration as several portions of it are in vulnerable condition.
Clock tower of the palace collapsed on Monday. Locals and royal family of Nilagiri have expressed concern over the condition of the palace.
Spread over five acres, the new complex of the palace was built by the then Maharaja of Nilagiri Shyam Sundar Mardaraj Harichandan in 1893. However, the old complex of the palace was built in 1750. Nilagiri king Jayant Chandra Mardaraj Harichandan said unlike in the olden days, most Maharajas are not financially sound now to maintain their palaces. “As the State government is spending money for restoration of temples and monuments, it should take up the preservation and conservation of the old palaces,” he said. Though the clock tower was repaired in 2004 by the State’s Archeology wing, no restoration work was undertaken to renovate the vulnerable sections of the palace despite several demands by the royal family.
The clock tower portion has been transferred to the Jagannath temple trust managed by the Endowment Department.
On Tuesday, in a meeting chaired by the temple trust board and Nilagiri queen Manoj Manjari Devi, ` 20,000 has been sanctioned for minor repairs in the clock tower. The king, however, said the Archeology wing had assured them to start the restoration work soon. “They have fund allotment for the renovation and restoration work in 2013-14 financial year,” he added.