Berhampur MP Pradeep Kumar Panigrahy has urged Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi to rename Paralakhemundi railway station in Gajapati district after Maharaja Krushna Chandra Gajapati. The appeal was made on the occasion of the birth anniversary celebration of the former Parala Maharaja on Sunday.
"The renaming of Paralakhemundi as Maharaja Krushna Chandra Gajapati railway station would be a real tribute to the Maharaja, who played a vital role in the formation of a separate Odisha state on linguistic basis on April 1, 1936," Panigrahy said. He wrote a letter to the chief minister in this regard.
Established in 1899 under the patronage of the Gajapati Maharaja of Paralakhemundi, the station, located on the Odisha-Andhra Pradesh border, holds historical significance as the first dedicated railway line of the state, as part of the Paralakhemundi Light Railway.
The MP has also appealed to the chief minister for setting up a life-size bronze statue of Maharaja Krushna Chandra Gajapati at Paralakhemundi railway station. This would inspire people with the role of the great leader, especially the rail commentators who visit Paralakhemundi.
Panigrahy also thanked the Union Railway Minister for revamping the historic railway station under the Amrit Bharat Station Scheme for over Rs 16 crore. "We have already written a letter to the chief minister appealing it recently. We hope he actively considers his proposal and declares the railway station as Maharaja Krushna Chandra railway station," he said.
On the occasion of his birth celebration, various organisations in Berhampur and Paralakhemundi paid rich tribute to him while garlanding the statues located in different areas. Deputy Chief Minister Prabhati Parida, who was on a two-day tour to Gajapati district, also paid rich tributes to the king by garlanding his statues located in various places in Paralakhemundi. Rupesh Panigrahy and Dasarathi Gamanga, MLAs of Paralakhemundi and Mohana, along with several others, attended the event.
