SAMBALPUR: Octogenarian doctor and philanthropist Narayani Panda has donated her two-storey house at Bhutapada in the city to the Government Women’s College here.
Dr Panda, a renowned gynaecologist and obstetrician of Sambalpur, handed over the documents of her property to the college authorities on Wednesday. The first floor of the house will be used as a hostel for students of the college.
“I was planning to start a school from this house. However, the plan could not materialise. Later I realised that the building could be turned into a hostel of the women’s college which is located nearby, as many students are living in rented accommodations in the area. After discussing with the college authorities, I decided to donate my house,” said the 86-year-old retired doctor.
Dr Panda informed that for the last five months, 20 students have been staying in her house as they could not find suitable accommodation in the area. However, there is still enough space for more students. The process of transfer of documents started around a year ago. Now all formalities for transfer of the property have been completed. “I have handed over the necessary documents to the college. The college authorities may make some changes on the second floor to make it suitable for hostel purposes. They are also planning to develop a shorter path from the house to the college,” she added.
Principal of Government Women’s College Rajashree Baral said, “Dr Panda has already accommodated a few students on the ground floor. Now that she has transferred her house to the college, we would manage it by applying the rules and regulations of a hostel. There is also a need for some renovation work. We will ensure that Dr Panda does not face any inconvenience due to the renovation work as she is still residing on the ground floor of the house.”
Earlier, Dr Panda had donated Rs 25 lakh to the college which included `20 lakh under Mo College Abhiyan and Rs 5 lakh as a scholarship for needy students. In 2021, she had also donated Rs 30 lakh to Gangadhar Meher University, her alma mater. The funds were utilised to set up an IT skill centre which has been named after her.