The hospital building at Haldibari in Cooch Behar. Picture by Main Uddin Chisti

Cooch Behar, Aug. 19: A building constructed over a century ago in Haldibari lies in a state of neglect and ruin even as people concerned about the rich heritage of the district that was once a princely state demand its restoration.

The chairperson of the Congress-run Haldibari municipality, Gouranga Nag, along with the Cooch Behar Heritage Society, has demanded that the state confer a heritage status to the abandoned hospital built in memory of the 19th century Hindu reformer, Keshab Chandra Sen.

They have also asked the authorities to hand over the maintenance of the campus to the civic body.

Currently, the single-storey building along with three-acres, is in possession of the district health department.

Secretary of the Cooch Behar Heritage Society Arupjyoti Majumdar said Sen had come to Cooch Behar with his daughter Suniti Devi in 1878.

“He arrived from Calcutta by train to Haldibari and then he crossed the Teesta at Mekhliganj. He rode a horse carriage to Cooch Behar town via Patgram and Mathabhanga,” Majumdar said.

The same year Maharaja Nripendra Narayan married Suniti Devi.

“It was after this grand wedding that the young prince began developing Cooch Behar. He modernised the town and built the infrastructure,” Majumdar added.

Later, Nripendra Narayan decided to construct a building near Haldibari station where Sen had rested for sometime before setting off for Cooch Behar.

“The structure got a proper shape in 1904 when a six-bed health facility was inaugurated there. However, after Independence, a new hospital came up in Haldibari, 110km from here, and since then, this building has gradually turned into ruin,” Majumdar said.

“It is crumbling to dust. The wooden fittings have been stolen and the campus has been encroached upon. At night the place becomes a den for criminals. Since the hospital is owned by the health department, we have written to them asking them to hand it over to us,” said Nag.

Majumdar said the society has already appealed to the West Bengal Heritage Commission to declare the building a heritage site before it gets completely damaged.

The chief medical officer of health, Radharaman Banik, said he knew little about the hospital but he added that he would look into the matter.