A preparatory meeting to observe the first death anniversary of former Chief Minister of Odisha and former Assam Governor Janaki Ballabh Patnaik was held here on Monday.
Aryakumar Jnanendra said intellectuals of the city, leaders cutting across party lines, have become united and made a committee to observe the death anniversary of Patnaik on April 21. leader of Opposition Narasingha Mishra took the responsibility as the president of the committee.
Former Vice-Chancellor Dr Bimalendu Mohanty, former Minister Rasabihari Behera and linguist Dr Debi Prasanna Pattanaik were selected as the vice-presidents of the committee and Dr Badrinath Patnaik as treasurer.
A 10-member committee led by its president Narasingha Mishra would meet the Chief Minister to request him for installing a statue of JB Patnaik in front of the Congress Bhawan. They would also request for renaming of the Utkal University of Culture and the Ekrama Kanan after JB Patnaik.
BJP leader Biswa Bhusan Harichandan and Congress leaders Niranjan Patnaik and Ranjib Biswal were present.