A 157-year-old valuable clock at the Maharaja Boys’ High School under Paralakhemundi Municipality has been lying defunct for over last 30 years causing deep resentment among the general public.
Due to the lack of maintenance, the age-old clock has not been operating since long and there has been no effort from any section of society for its repair, alleged a local. Besides, the locals have demanded immediate repair of the clock to preserve the memory of the Gajapati Maharaja.
Sources said the matter was discussed at a meeting of the Old Students’ Union at the school premises four years ago. The meeting decided to bring spare parts of the clock from its company in Bangalore and many students from the union had also collected money and handed over it to the concerned committee. However, the repair work is yet to be made.
On contacting, a student from the union said, “While an amount of `1.5 lakh is needed for the repair work, only a small amount of money has been collected so far.”
Notably, in 1857, when the Boys’ High School was built by the Gajapati Maharaja at the College Square here, a huge clock was brought from the America and fixed on the top of the school. Since then, people from all walks of life had been depending on the clock.
If the concerned departmental authorities or the administration evince interest in repairing of the clock, it will again be operational, said another villager.