CUTTACK: Former Chief Justice of Jharkhand High Court and former judge of Orissa High Court Justice Pradip Kumar Mohanty has urged the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) to declare the nearly 400-year-old Lalbag Palace building in Cuttack as a centrally-protected monument. Justice Mohanty hails from Cuttack city.
In a memorandum to the director general of ASI, Justice Mohanty said the historic Lalbag Palace, now home to the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Post Graduate Institute of Pediatrics (Shishu Bhawan), has served as a centre of power and administration through Mughal, Maratha, British and post-Independence eras.
The memorandum has pointed out that the monument, an early example of Indo-Islamic architecture is yet to get the desired attention in terms of conservation measures. Justice Mohanty also urged the ASI to ensure preservation of the Lalbag police station building which was part of the palace.
The police station has been shifted to another building keeping in view its dilapidated condition. He called for the ASI authorities to inspect and assess the historical importance of Lalbag Palace and police station buildings for declaring them centrally-protected monuments.
However, the demand has not evoked any response so far. In the meantime, the Lalbag police station building was razed on May 30. Sources said, the demolition was carried out as an administrative exercise to reportedly develop a parking area.
The Lalbag Palace was built in 1633 by Mughal governor Mutaqad Khan on the banks of the Kathajodi river. After the Mughals, the palace became the headquarters of the Maratha Bhonslas of Nagpur, who ruled Odisha from 1751 to 1803.
Following the British conquest of Odisha in 1803 under Colonel Harcourt, the property passed into British hands and was later used by the East India Irrigation Company as well as residence of British commissioners and collectors.
In 1942, Lalbag Palace was designated as Odisha’s Government House. It remained the Governor’s residence until 1960, when the Raj Bhavan was shifted to Bhubaneswar and then it was converted for use as a children’s hospital.
