GOOD OLD DAYS IN A MUSEUM !

A 'secret' museum in Cooch Behar

A unique museum came up in Cooch Behar but it is yet to be officially inaugurated. Barring a few lucky ones it is not possible for the citizens in general to have a glance of the historic articles kept in the museum. The state government is yet to issue the required approval to make the museum open to all.

Different organisations like the Heritage Society of Cooch Behar, the North East Development Academy and the Concern for Cooch Behar conveyed appeals to the state PWD minister, Mr Kshiti Goswami on several occasions to issue the required approval but due to some undisclosed reasons the approval is yet to be released.

The proponents of the museum opined that the PWD minister should come forward to take an initiative. Once opened the common people will be able to see the historic articles of the days of Maharajas of Cooch Behar. Sources in the PWD (Roads), Highway division, Cooch Behar, said, it is up to the PWD minister to decide the fate of the museum. Presently, the rich collection of rare historic articles is being kept in a room in the office of the PWD (Roads), Highway division, in Cooch Behar near Madan Mohan Thakurbari. There are two such museums of the PWD in the state – one at Kolkata and the other at Darjeeling.

A few years ago, replying a letter the Chief Engineer (Roads) reportedly requested the Executive Engineer of Cooch Behar Highway Division to keep the historical documents in a selected room of the Divisional Building with proper care till declaration of a "Sangrahashala" by the government.

The Public Works unit was set up in Cooch Behar in 1864 during the regime of Maharajas of Cooch Behar for construction of buildings, bridges, and roads. Before that the PW jobs were done under Baxikhana. The total length of roads was nine miles only before 1864. But, during the next 20-years 109-mile roads were constructed under royal PW unit. This department also constructed the railroad from Mogulhat (now in Bangladesh) to Buxa.

In the still unnamed museum there are age-old tools and instruments, maps, ledgers, documents, books on architecture, mileposts, drafts and designs of various buildings and bridges. They also collected a few copies of gazettes printed from Cooch Behar State Press in those Raj-days. When Cooch Behar was a princely state, lampposts and water stand-posts were brought from England. A few of these articles too found place in the proposed museum.

Concrete water-tubs placed on the side of roads for cattle in those good-old days, are also collected for the museum. Not only these, specimen of royal emblems, maps, furniture made with Burma-teak, bricks made by royal PW unit and documents of Cooch Behar Airport during second world war are also collected for the proposed museum. If these historic objects were displayed properly in a gallery it would enhance the tourist attraction of this heritage town, opined many.