Saswat Singhdeo

Sambalpur: Controversy surfaced over Assamese litterateur late Lakshminath Bezbarua’s residence in Sambalpur after locals stopped the renovation work of the house demanding its demolition.

Locals have said that the house should be demolished as it will lead to accidents in the area and act as an obstacle in construction of second bridge over Mahanadi River which is vital for Sambalpur's development.

The locals have asked the administration to build a memorial of the Assamese litterateur, informed sources.

According to sources, the locals also presented a memorandum to the Additional collector.

"After receiving a memorandum from locals, I have forwarded it to the collector," Additional Collector, Ajay Kumar Jena said.

"Presence of this house enhances the possibility of accidents in the area, so we have urged the district collector to demolish it and build a memorial in another location," Sambalpur resident, Manas Ranjan Bakshi said.

Meanwhile, police personnel have been deployed near the residence to check any kind of untoward incident.

Last year, Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik had assured the Assam government to preserve the century-old house of the renowned litterateur.

The announcement had come after Assam Cultural Affairs Minister Naba Kumar Doley and Assam CM’s press advisor Hrishikesh Goswami discussed the matter with Patnaik at the Secretariat in Bhubaneswar.

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