Sambalpur, Feb. 3: The historic Veer Surendra Sai town hall,amemorablemonumentof the British era located in the heart of the city, has been lying neglected for a long time.

Theconstruction of the buildinghad startedin 1902. J.B. Leven Thorpey, the then superintending engineer of the central province, had designed the building. J.P. Hewety, the then chief commissioner of the central province, had inaugurated the building in 1904. It was named Victoria Hall.

After Independence, it was renamed after Veer Surendra Sai.

The British government as well as the kings, landlords and businessmen of this area had donated funds for the construction. The Indian donors had given Rs 9,417. 'The zamindar of Phuljhar, which is now in Chhattisgarh, had given Rs 1,200, which was the highest amount. The zamindar of Barpaligave Rs 1,000.Several other zamindars had also contributed,' said Deepak Panda, a city-based writer.

The hall has been a significant centre for various activities of the district. Several important meetingshave beenheld in it.

Sir Andrew Frazer, the then governor of Bengal, had also organised a meeting with the kings of the region in the building in 1908.

Entities such as the Zilla School, office of thedevelopment authority, the women's college, and the Trust Fund College had once operated from this building for a certain period of time. Now, the district culture office is run from there.

'This building is a subject of pride for the city. However, it is lying neglected now. The glasses of its skylight are broken. The roof is not in good condition and one can see water seeping in. The building should be protected and preserved,' said Panda.

'Some repairs were carried out a few years ago. However, nothing has been done since. Though a new building has already been made for the district culture office, it operates from the building now. And the office will shift soon. Nobody will be there to take care of the historic town hall after that,' said Panda.

'The authorities concerned should think of renovating the building and expanding the hall without affecting its original structure. The sitting capacity of the hall is now 100. If the sitting capacity is increased, several meetings can take place in the hall. And if people visit the building regularly, it will remain protected,' Panda said.

The district rural development agency manages the building. 'The agency should take steps to preserve the building,' said Jeevan Mohapatra, a local resident.

Sitaram Patel, the agency's project director, said: 'We don't have any plan to renovate the town hall now.However, wewill discuss over the issue and take adequatemeasures to protect the building.'