Historic and archeological importance of the majestic house of poet Quazi Kader Newaj, an icon of Bangla literature, has been lying uncared in Sreepur upazila town under Magura district, as the authorities concerned are ignoring its tourism potentials.
The splendid building still stands tall along the bank of the Kumar River beckoning the people passing by it to have a look of its grandeur and magnificence. None can resist the temptation of taking a look at the captivating old structure when one passes by it.
The poet is specially recalled for his masterpiece of poetry ‘Shikhaker Marjada’.
The poet was also a freedom fighter as he played an important role during the liberation war. He was also a good teacher. The poet and his kin were buried along this majestic building.
In the absence of proper maintenance and renovation, weeds have grown in and around the house while the mossy bricks are crumbling down from the decaying structure.
The house has lost much of its charm of terracotta due to the authorities’ negligence. Locals have already taken away many of the bricks, plaques, wooden doors and windows.
The house has become a safe haven for drug addicts and gamblers due to lack of proper initiatives for its preservation and maintenance. Local people use the building as their cowshed and it has turned into the public toilet.
Khan Moshiur Rahman, teacher of Sreepur Degree College said:“The government can easily turn it into an attractive tourist spot, as many people come here to see the centuries-old historic structure.’’
“Unfortunately, the government has done nothing to renovate the palace, though the historic site can fetch a large amount of revenue every year.’’ he said.
In April, this year, local NGOs, cultural organizations organised a programme to celebrate the birthday of the poet.
They laid memorial in front of the palace.
They also urged the government to save the structure.
Elias Hossain, lecturer of Bangla department at Sreepur Degree College, said:“Everyday, many people come from long distance to watch the spot but they become frustrated due to poor state of the structure.”
Moshiur Rahman, chairman of Sreepur union council, said: “If the place of Quazi Kader Newaj can be saved, it will be a potential tourist spot.”
“We have also sent requests to concern authorities in this regard,” he said.