71th REPUBLIC DAY IN JAJPUR WITH MUCH ENTHUSIASM

Akshya Rout,Odishabarta

Jajpur: Dibya Shankar Mishra, Minister of State (Ind.),Energy,Home;Industries, Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises, unfurled the National Flag and took salute from  police, students of colleges and schools.

Addressing on the occasion, the minister narrated the importance of celebrations of Republic Day nationwide and informed about the progress and achievements of the state.

The minister while recalling  the freedom struggle in the district  said four martyrs Sanada Swain , Hadibandhu Panda of Krushnanagar village , Sauti Mallick of rirampur  and Mayadhar Bhuyan of Hatasahi  laid down their lives while fighting the British police on 22nd, August 1942 on the Rakha Bandhan day , in village Kalamatia during  the “Quit India” movement called by Mahatma Gandhi.  History of freedom movement in Odisha  will remain incomplete without the mention of the supreme sacrifice of the martyrs of Kalamatia.

 Large number of villagers of these areas  fought against the British rule during the freedom struggle. On the other hand many people had also succumbed to the might of British administration, but all the four martyrs  and many villagers  chose to rebel against the British Raj.  On  22nd, August ,1942  about 200 villages set afire the village post office at Kaipada
and  prevented the British police to enter the village to arrest the freedom fighters but the police managed to enter the village in six boats and opened fire and killed four persons  and injured many near a pond at village Kalamatia.

To remember the sacrifice of four martyrs
in 1975, some villagers had erected a martyr tower  (Sahid Stambha ) at the spot in Kalamati  where all the four were  shot dead by the police .

“The state is determined to mitigate the poverty in the state for which the government started one , Madhusudan pension yojana, Kaliya Yojana.Mo Kudia, poverty alleviation programmes. Our government provided drinking water to the rural people. We also built good road in the villages BJD government came into power in 19 years back and the state progressed in all sectors. Despite many successes, the future development of the state rested mainly in rapid industrialization, said the  minister.

Minister Mishra felicitated  Dharmasala Tahasildar Saroj Kumar Panda as best administrator on the occasion.

The district collector Ranjan Kumar Das,  superintendent of police Charan Singh Meena, and others were present in the meeting .