Conservation and development work of Shahpur Fort in Shahpur near the river Koyal barely half a kilometer away from Daltonganj is started but the pace is quite slow, said sources.
The tender value of the conservation and development of this Shahpur fort is `1, 56, 71, 49. Tender of this work was finalised in March 2015, said sources.
According to the terms mentioned in the tender, the work is to be completed in 330 days. However, the pace of work and labourers engaged in it do not reflect that conservation and development of this fort will be over within 330 days. A guard at this fort Sanjay Singh Chero told the Pioneer ' Brick for the fort is being shipped from Varanasi and Delhi. None of the brick of this Fort will be replaced by any modern brick at all'.
The guard showed a dead and choked tunnel about which it is said the tunnel of this Fort had its other end in Palamu quilla near Betla about 30 to 31 Kms from Daltonganj.
The Shahpur Fort is said to be in 2.77 acre of land. However Sanjay charged that many influential people have grabbed the land which was of the fort. He said unscrupulous officials of the revenue office of Chainpur circle have played in the hands of the rich who encroached upon the land and even got opened lagan in their names.
Sanjay's mother Chandravati Devi showed her back which bore the mark of burning when some bad elements tried to set her afire for making inroads in to this Shahpur Fort. The woman said ' Humra peeth jal gaya. Par hum yahan sey nahi gaye. Yeh humra purkhon ka jameen hai'.
This fort belonged to one Raja Medini Rai who was a Chero King. Sanjay and his mother are also Chero. So they have this timeless affinity with the Raja bygone. This woman takes pride when she told the Pioneer ' The rani's name is Chandravati Devi and my name too. She was queen and I am pauper. So what IJ'
Three statues of the bust size adorn this fort. The statues are of Raja Medini Rai, Churamah Raja and Chandravati Devi.
Sanjay said the location of this fort is to be developed to make it a tourist spot. A pond , a park and a lake are in the pipe line for the place but with land encroachment this looks a distant proposition.
A stable of the time of Raja is now in total ruins.