The State Government took over the paternal house of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose here on Sunday. People of Puri have been demanding the property to be converted into a memorial since long.
It may be noted that Janakinath Bose, father of Netaji, was allotted a piece of land on lease by the then district administration for constructing a residential house. Janakinath had constructed a two-storey house on the land where the family including Netaji resided for some time. After demise of Janakinath, the property was recorded in the name of Netaji and some of his relatives by the Revenue Department.
According to freedom fighters, the house witnessed many important events related to the freedom struggle. The first meeting for formation of Forward Bloc by Netaji was held in the house where many young politicians from Odisha and West Bengal had participated.
However, the alleged attempt by Netaji’s relatives to delete his name from the government land records evoked sharp reaction from the public. They staged several demonstrations and demanded that the Government should take over the house and transform it into a memorial.
RDC Aravind Padhee had on Saturday cancelled the lease of the land stating that use of the property for commercial purposes would violate the lease agreement. He directed the district officials to ensure safety of the property.