Berhampur: A statue installed in front of Paralakhemundi railway station in Odisha has triggered a controversy as it does not resemble Maharaja Goura Chandra Gajapati Narayana Deb II, whom it was intended to represent.
Goura Chandra Gajapati Narayana Deb, considered the ‘father of Odisha railway’, had laid the narrow-gauge track from Naupada Jn to Paralakhemundi in 1898-99. Parlakimedi Light Railway (PLR) was a two-foot six-inch gauge railway. It was the brainchild of the erstwhile Maharaja of Paralakhemundi which came under the British influence in 1768. The standard type of locomotive on PLR was the 20-ton 0-6-4 tank locomotive with small (27-inch diameter) coupled wheels and an axle load of only 4.75 tons. The engines were designated the ‘PL’ class.
The East Coast Railway came into existence in 1893 with the construction of the Cuttack-Khurda Road-Puri line covering a distance of 96km and its subsequent link up along the East Coast up to Vijayawada – the junction points of Southern Maratha Railway and Nizam’s Guaranteed State Railway. The East Coast Railway brought a rail line to Naupada in 1894. Raja of Paralakhemundi Goura Chandra Gajapati decided to connect his capital with Naupada which was only 40-km away. With the government giving its sanction in 1898, work began in full earnest. The line was opened to traffic in 1900. The Naupada-Paralakhemundi gauge line of the PLR opened on April 1, 1900. In the first few years, the PLR had incurred losses but after 1910, it started making marginal profits and after 1924-25, the profits increased. This motivated Maharaja Krushna Chandra Gajapati to extend the line to Gunupur in two phases in 1929 and 1931.
Earlier, there have been notable efforts to honour Goura Chandra Gajapati Narayana Deo and his illustrious son, Maharaja Krushna Chandra Gajapati Narayana Deb, for their significant contributions to the development of the Parlakimidi Light Railway (PLR) and expanding the local railway network.
In May 2023, the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH), Odisha chapter, addressed a letter to Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, for installing a statue of Maharaja Goura Chandra Gajapati Narayana Deb II in front of the new station building to honour his legacy. Also, public demanded renaming of Paralakhemundi Station as ‘Maharaja Krushna Chandra Gajapati (MKCG) Station’ to honour the ex-ruler who pioneered in extending the rail service to more areas.
Having made similar demands, Paralakhemundi Senior Citizen Manch (PSCM), Apanna Paricha Smruti Sansad (APSS) and Gajapati Zilla Nagarika Sangha expressed their anguish over installation of the statue that does not resemble the Maharaja Goura Chandra Gajapati Narayana Deb.
The locals criticised the inaccuracy of the statue installed and demanded its replacement with proper correction. They demanded the authorities and the artists must admit the mistake and promise a fix and the statue be redone. Public have threatened to resort to agitation, if the statue is not replaced immediately.
Paralakhemundi Station is designed on the theme of the historic Paralakhemundi Royal Palace and declared as a heritage station.
The redevelopment of Paralakhemundi Railway station under the Amrit Bharat Station Scheme is in the final stage.
