Legal notice served on govt after star report

Following a report published in The Daily Star, a Supreme Court lawyer yesterday served a legal notice on the government to form a committee in three days to probe the negligence in renovating two-century-old twin temples at Muktagachha in Mymensingh and to take appropriate action against the officials responsible for the negligence.

Lawyer Manoj Kumar Bhowmick sent the legal notice to the cultural affairs secretary and the director general of department of archeology requesting them to take necessary steps to this effect.

In it, he said he will take legal steps if the cultural affairs secretary does not form the probe committee and take action against officials concerned.

The Daily Star report published  under the headline "200-year old twin temples in sorry state" yesterday said, "The two-century-old twin temples, Shree Shree Anandamoyee Shiva and Kali Mata Mandir, is in a dilapidated state for decades, thanks to the indifference of the authorities concerned."

Built in 1820 by Shreemoti Bimola Devi, mother of zaminder Maharaja Shashikanta Acharya Chowdhury, the twin-temple is awaiting loss of its architectural beauty as no steps are taken to renovate it, said the report.

Located outside the palaces of Muktagachha zaminders in Kalibari area, the temple is also known as "Dhaksinashar Mandir" where religious events including Durga Puja and sacrificial activities on the occasion of Kali and Monosha puja are held.

It is oblong in shape with conical shape tops and small corridors on a high basement which is connected to the staircase leading to a large pond. Special puja is also held there during every full moon and new moon and on the occasion of Pahela Baishakh, the report added.