Basudevpur: As preparations are on to celebrate the 75th Saheed Diwas at Raktatirtha Iram in Basudevpur of Bhadrak Thursday, the historic place is increasingly losing importance due to lack of development.
Iram aka Balidan Tirtha Khetra is the place where 29 freedom fighters fell to British bullets September 28, 1942 when they were protesting against foreign rule. The administration will observe the diamond jubilee of the incident this year. The Centre and the state government have ignored this place in the last 73 years.
Although the state government declared this place a tourist spot two years ago, development activities have been limited to just putting up an information plaque. Locals alleged that the tourism and culture department has not laid even a single brick for developing the place even after it was declared a tourist spot.
The development of Saheed Peetha has made little headway in the last 75 years due to lack of coordination among the Saheed Smruti Committee, the district administration, the local MLA and ministers.
Locals and intellectuals said that historians then had not properly highlighted the great sacrifice of the 29 freedom fighters. Locals consider the incident the second Jalianawalahbagh of India.
Its history exists only as a memorial column set up at Iram Bazaar and a Samadhi Peetha nearby. Locals alleged that some people have been selling vegetables near the memorial while broken glass pieces are found scattered near the column.
People defecate in the area around the Saheed Samadhi creating an ugly atmosphere for tourists. Locals said the ground is cleaned only when Saheed Diwas approaches.
Although several Central ministers, state ministers, Chief Ministers and senior administrative officers have come to the place in the past to pay tributes, nothing was done to develop it. PNN
