Baripada (SunstarTV Bureau): In an initiative to rejuvenate and marmalade the magnanimous history of Mayurbhanj kingdom, the Ministry of Railways has decided to build a heritage museum at Baripada Railway Station.
On account of this, a tender of cost over Rs 1 crore has been processed by the East Coast Railway (ECoR).
The museum is planned to project two steam engines placed in front of the Baripada Railway Station, train compartments as well as the history Mayurbhanj monarchy, one of the most decorated princely states of India during British reign.
The Railway Station, is more than a century old, but still reflects the majesty of the British rule. It ignites the selfless contribution of Mayurbhanj King towards development of kingdom.
The Rupsa-Baripada-Bangriposi Narrow Gauge line was introduced by the erstwhile ruler of Mayurbhanj, Maharaja Sriram Chandra Bhanj Deo. The first section of 52 km from Rupsa to Baripada was inaugurated on January 20, 1905.
An agreement was signed between the King and then Bengal Nagpur Railway (now South Eastern Railway) on December 2, 1918, for expansion of 9.5 km railway from Bangiriposi to Talabandha. The project was completed on July 15, 1920.
Even after amalgamation of Mayurbhanj with Odisha on January 1, 1949, the railway section in Baripada was supremely neglected. The Rupsa-Bangiriposi Narrow Gauge line constructed by the King of Mayurbhanj, took more than 100 years to be transformed into the broad-gauge railway. The track got transformation to broad gauge line on December 17, 2005.
15 years after the transformation, the Ministry of Railway decided to construct a railway heritage museum at the Baripada Railway Station.
