As Railways builds new station in Odisha town, INTACH raises red flag, seeks heritage tag

INTACH Odisha convener A B Tripathy said the existing station should neither be demolished nor restructured in any way as it is a piece of history and needs to be properly preserved.

Written by Sujit Bisoyi

Bhubaneswar | Updated: May 9, 2023 09:25 AM IST

3 min read

An expert team of INTACT recently visited the railway station to take stock of the existing and newly coming up railway station building which is being built on the design of the Paralakhemundi palace. (Express Photo)

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As the railway ministry has started redevelopment of Paralakhemundi station, one of the oldest railway stations in Odisha, the state chapter of the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH) has objected to the demolition of the heritage station built in 1899 by the then royals.

In a letter to Union railway minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, INTACH Odisha said the new building being developed by the railways is on a raised platform and overshadows the existing heritage structure. It demanded that the old station should be given a heritage tag and preserved as it is.

“While the new building is being built on the lines of the older one, it should be noted that the original building has a lot of historical and heritage value. It is still in a very good state and does not need much restoration work,” said INTACH Odisha convener A B Tripathy, a retired IPS officer.

Tripathy said the existing station should neither be demolished nor restructured in any way as it is a piece of history and needs to be properly preserved. An expert team of INTACH recently visited the railway station to take stock of the existing and newly coming up railway station building which is being built on the design of the Paralakhemundi palace.

According to official sources, the then Maharaja of Parlakimedi (now Paralakhemundi) had decided to connect his capital with Nuapada (in Andhra Pradesh now) which got rail lines in 1884, with a light railway. After getting the nod from the British authorities in 1898, he built a 39-km line by spending around Rs 7 lakh from his coffer.

INTACH also urged the railway minister that at least two of the original heritage locomotives of the PLR (Paralakimedi Light Railway) should be brought back and properly plinthed at the railway station. About seven of the original locomotives are lying scattered at places which have no connection to Paralakhemundi. The 1899-built wooden carriage used by the royals of Paralakhemundi, which is kept at the narrow-gauge railway museum at Nagpur, too should be brought back for display at the station, it demanded.

Stating that many other artifacts relating to the PLR are kept at the Nagpur museum, including signalling equipment, electrical equipment, scales, uniforms, insignias, German silver cutlery and royal embellishments, INTACH said all these should be obtained back.

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