Angul: Bhagabat is not only a religious scripture, but also considered an inseparable part of Oriya literature, culture and lifestyle.
In the same way, Bhagabata Tungis were the places where villagers in the past got assembled in the evenings to know the mysticism of God and forget their routine tribulations of life. In course of time, the Tungis got neglected due to funds crunch.
Realising the importance of Bhagabata Tungis in the lives of Oriyas, the state government launched a drive to revive them in 2014 and started granting funds for the purpose.
However, the district administration here has failed miserably in utilising the funds, it was learnt. Though several Tungis applied for grants in the last few years, the files have stuck with the block development officers (BDOs) leaving the institutions in the lurch.
According to reports, the culture department had taken a decision to grant an assistance of Rs 25,000 to each Tungi during 2014-15 fiscal. However, the district didn’t receive any assistance after that.
The department again swung into action and invited applications from Bhagabata Tungis to avail the grants in May 2016. Nearly 110 Tungis from the district applied for the grants. This time, the administration was in a dilemma over the number of institutions as it exceeded the limits.
The department then decided to sanction funds for five Tungis in each block during 2015-16 and three Tungis in each block in 2016-17.
Suspecting fake applications, collector as well as the chairman of district culture council Anil Kumar Samal asked the BDOs concerned to scrutinise the applications.
The BDOs were asked in November last year to file a report whether the Tungis run properly and they genuinely need financial aid. However, none of the BDOs showed any interest in filing the report.
Meanwhile, the district administration has received funds in May for the revival of 65 Bagabat Tungis but it is yet to be disbursed.
On the other hand, funds to the tune of Rs 16 lakh which were granted in the last two years are still lying unutilised.
Though there is no dearth of funds for revival of the Tungis, they are yet to be sanctioned due to the negligence of the BDOs, said an officer of the culture department.
Some BDOs are not even aware of such an initiative taken by the government, it was learnt.
Banarpal BDO Sudhansu Mohanty said earlier he used to receive the assistance which has been stopped now. PNN
