Cuttack is now in headlines for demolition of illegally-constructed religious shrines on the bank of river Kathajori in the city. But religious structures built on encroached Government lands are a common sight all over the State.
In the Keonjhar municipality area, Siddhamath, a beautiful place at the side of Chulia hill has been encroached by several religious groups. On one hand, shrines for gods are being constructed rapidly in a competitive manner; on the other hand, humans have been residing inside a Hume pipe for last nine years near the unauthorised shrines.
This is the scene at Word-2 of the Keonjhargarh Municipality, and the shrines are frequently visited by political VIPs and top district officials as devotees. Everybody is aware about the unauthorised constructions, but nobody cares to take note of another ‘shrine’ where a ‘living god’ Bijaya Kumar Naik alias Chagulu is staying with his family just about 600 meters from Siddhamath.
Chagulu, aged about 45 years, and his family have made the Hume pipe their home at a lonely place under a tamarind tree. The pipe was brought to this place for construction of a bridge ten years before and abandoned as a surplus one. At that time, Chagulu was staying in a hut on a private land. After some
days, the land owner asked him to leave the place. A helpless Chagulu had no option but to shift to the pipe.
Chagulu, his wife Jagati (40) and daughter Hemalata (11) have adjusted their lives in the pipe. Chagulu looks seventy-year-old due to ill health and is unable to do much work. He is having six goats, which are his only assets. He is getting three hundred rupees as old age pension and his daughter is reading at the Suleikhamar UP School. With the help of his BPl ration card he is feeding his family.
Chagulu is basically a resident of Hundadwar Sahi adjacent to the Old Palace in the municipal area.
He uses an unsafe ladder to climb up the tamarind tree with his wife and daughter when elephants come to the area. Snakes, bears and other wild animals are virtually his other family members living just behind the Shree Gundicha Temple of Keonjhar.