The renovated building of Swaraj Ashram

Cuttack, Aug. 14: Swaraj Ashram, the hub of the country’s freedom struggle in the 1920s, has finally got a facelift.

The main building of the protected monument, which was converted into a memorial museum by the state government in 2008, has been painted, while special measures have been taken to maintain sanitation. Even the grills on the outer portion of the existing library were replaced with glass.

“Decorative tiles have also been installed in many rooms that were damaged,” said junior engineer of state archaeological department Subhasish Prusty. Work on the beautification of the museum cost about Rs 5.33 lakh.

“It is good to see that this historic site has been developed just before Independence Day. Efforts to preserve this old heritage place will certainly help attract more visitors,” said Seikh Imran, a local resident.

However, electricity supply to the museum has been stopped because of arrear bills that amount to nearly Rs1 lakh.

“It has been over six years since there is no power supply to the ashram. We have decided to submit a memorandum to chief minister Naveen Patnaik and other officials for urgent measures to restore the supply,” said Bisweswar Dey, 77, secretary of the State Freedom Fighters’ Samiti.

District culture officer Krupasindhu Padhi has said steps will shortly be taken to restore the power supply. The Indian National Congress in the state operated from Swaraj Ashram. Mahatma Gandhi, during his first visit to the state on March 23, 1921, had stayed at the ashram for two days. The ashram was declared a protected monument in 1986. In 1992, the property was vested with the state government, which took possession of it after an eviction drive on May 31, 2004.