Sambalpur, Dec. 16: The watchtowers, the remnants of the royal days of Sambalpur during the sixteenth century, are on the verge of collapse due to lack of maintenance.

The towers are on a fort wall, which was constructed under the Chouhan regime to protect the Sambalpur estate from enemies. The wall stretched between Balibandha and Mandlia along the river Mahanadi. The length of the wall was 2,443 ft. The construction of the fort wall had started during the rule of King Balaram Dev and was completed under the rule of his grandson, King Balabhadra Dev, in 1594.

The fort wall has already been destroyed but the watchtowers are still there. However, no step has been taken to preserve them. There were six watchtowers on the wall, each 17-ft high and 72-ft wide with cannons fitted on the top. “Due to negligence, one of the towers has already collapsed. The remaining five are in a dilapidated condition. They are on the verge of collapse,” said Deepak Panda, a city-based writer on Sambalpur’s history.

“There was a time when the river was the major route of transportation. The enemies would attack by coming by the river. Hence, the wall was constructed along it,” Panda said.

J. Cunningham of the Archaeological Survey of India had sent J.D. Delgar to visit the central province in 1881-82. During his tour, Delgar visited Sambalpur. He had mentioned about the fort wall and the watchtowers in his report. He had also said that they were on the verge of collapse,” said Panda.

“One of the towers was repaired in 1888. And it was named Victoria tower,” he said.

The watchtower was repaired again in 2000-2001. However, not a step has been taken to preserve the towers after that,” Panda said.

“These watchtowers should be conserved and protected. But unfortunately, they are lying neglected. One can see weed and vines growing on the structures now. Besides, garbage is also dumped near the towers,” said Dev Priyadarshi, a history student.

“If these watchtowers are preserved, visitors will get an opportunity to know about the history of this old city. Sambalpur Development Authority should take the responsibility to preserve such historical places,” said Bijaya Sahu, a local resident.

District culture officer Arpita Behera admitted that the watchtowers were on the verge of collapse and urgent measures were needed to preserve them. “We will send a proposal to the government for the conservation and preservation of the watch towers,” said Behera.