Balurghat Museum that has been accorded government status. Picture by Ramen Mondal

Balurghat, Oct. 20: Balurghat Museum has finally got the Bengal cabinet’s nod to function as a full-fledged government-run facility, five years after it came into existence.

It was in September 2003 that an old building that had housed a prison was taken over and renovated to display historical artefacts found time to time in various parts of South Dinajpur district.

The artefacts like statues, coins and old scripts written on palm fronds, which have been collected from different police stations and subdivisional offices where they had been kept, are now in the museum. Many of the items belonged to the Pala and Sena dynasties which date back to about thousand years ago.

According to state social welfare minister, Biswanath Chowdhury who represents the Balurghat constituency, now that it has got the cabinet approval, the museum can be better developed.

“Besides expanding the museum and increasing the number of items on the display, we can think of other activities that will be useful for students,” said the minister.

He said a room in the museum had been set aside for the display of rare old coins from various countries and oddities like a ship’s fog horn among other things collected by one Nirmal Agarwal.