There is none to take care of the building of cultural and literary organisation Utkal Hitaishini Samaj in Gajapati district. Telegraph pictures

Berhampur, Oct. 20: The building of cultural and literary organisation Utkal Hitaishini Samaj in Gajapati district lies in neglect.

The organisation, situated at Paralakhemundi, the district headquarters of Gajapati, had spearheaded the agitation for the development of Oriya language, culture and social status of people in the 19th century. Subsequently, it had laid the foundation for the formation of the Utkal Sammilani that played a pivotal role in the formation of a separate Orissa state.

Now, the walls of the building are damaged, doors and windows broken and the water seeps into the building through the roof.

“Late Pandit Neelakantha Das had inaugurated the building in 1956. It needs urgent renovation, but we have no funds to meet the expenses,” said Purna Chandra Mahapatra, secretary of the organisation.

A Trinath temple has come up in the complex and the building faces threat of encroachment from all sides.

“The first graduate of undivided Ganjam, Shyam Sundar Rajguru, a literary person, had established Utkal Hitaishini Samaj on June 13, 1885. One of the greatest achievements of Utkal Hitaishini Samaj was to ensure the use of Oriya language instead of Telugu in the government offices of undivided Ganjam district in 1890,” said Mahapatra.

“The Samaj had submitted a charter of demands to introduce Oriya as an official language in government offices. The memorandum had signatures of one lakh people and it was submitted to the then Ganjam collector 1889. It took three years for the organisers to convince people to secure their signatures. Although the governor of Madras Pres- idency had declared Oriya to be used as an official language in government offices on March 4, 1872, the order was not being implemented,” Mahapatra said, quoting the records of the Utkal Hitaishini Samaj. He added: “We have managed to renovate the building with a meagre fund in 2007 and restored electricity supply after paying Rs 6,000 against an outstanding bill of Rs 14,000 after negotiations with the power supply agency. The District Culture Council has not sanctioned a single penny to the Samaj for renovation of its building. We are now managing the show by providing the building on a daily rent of Rs 500 to private parties for marriages, meetings and other activities. But the income is too meagre to maintain the building.”

Mahapatra urged the state government to take immediate steps to renovate the building before it collapses.