Pallahara: The famous recreation centre Sarat Chandra club of Pallahara in Angul district which once became the identity of this town for its own legacy has run down over the course of the past 73 years calling for immediate restoration and beautification.
This recreation club dating back to the royal days has been in a dilapidated state, despite cosmetic treatments given at several times. It is considered as a pride of Pallahara town which is on the verge of extinction, locals fumed.
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Worthy to note, the then Gadajat ruler of Pallahara Sarat Chandra Pal had established this club in 1947. Subsequently, Pallahara area was freed from Gadajat rule and became a subdivision of undivided Dhenkanal district. The erstwhile collector Sarita Jayanta Das had initiated partial developmental activities in 1975 in order to restore the club.
Former parliamentarian Tathagata Satpathy and ex-MLA Mahesh Sahoo had contributed their local area development (LAD) funds for its development, in 2012 and 2018 respectively.
This historical recreation centre now meets its monthly establishment expenses from contributions made by 40 permanent members.
Notably, Pallahara Sub-Collector is the designated president of the club. Members’ contributions do not suffice to even pay the monthly salary of the night guards.
On being contacted, the present Sub-Collector Ajit Kumar Pradhan said. “I have had discussion with the district Collector Manoj Kumar Mohanty and he has agreed to provide District Mineral Fund for its development and beautification works”.
PNN