Citizens demand installation of Mayurbhanj raja's statue

Baripada, Nov 26 (UNI) Eminent citizens and members of three leading cultural outfits of Mayurbhanj have expressed deep anguish and displeasure over the state government's apathy in installing a lifesize statue of Maharaja Sreeram Chandra Bhanj Deo.

The three organisations- Mayurbhanj chapter of the ''Utkal Sammilani'', Baripada Sahitya Samsad and the ''Pujya Pooja'' have decided to spearhead a movement to put pressure on Naveen Patnaik government to install a life size statue of Maharaja Sreeram chandra at Bhubaneswar in recognition of the Maharaja's outstanding contributions in the growth and preservation of Oriya culture.

In a letter to the two cabinet ministers - Chaitanya Prasad Majhi and Golak Behari Nayak and eight other MLAs of Mayurbhanj, the three organisations pleaded for mounting pressures on the Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik to install the statue of Sreeram Chandra at Bhubaneswar.

The three organisations further prevailed upon the Ministers and MLAs from Mayurbhanj to ask the government to announce its decision on this issue during the current session of the state assembly, more preferably before December 17,the birthday of the Maharaja who had played a major role for bringing all the Oriya speaking people under the umbrella of a single administrative unit.

The historic presidential speech of the Maharaja at the first session of the Utkal Sammilani at Cuttack in 1903 would remain as a lasting chapter in the history of Orissa and continue to inspire the generations, the leaders of the three organisations said and demanded that the statue of the Maharaja should be installed in a conspicuous place of the Orissa Assembly premises.

UNI XC DP BA AKP1743