By Neeraj Kumar
Patna/Darbhanga: Heritage enthusiasts in Darbhanga are calling for the preservation of a more than hundred-year-old ‘steam road roller’ manufactured in Britain. This demand coincides with India hosting the 46th session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee in New Delhi. Locals from Darbhanga, the heart of the culturally rich Mithila region, report that the vintage road roller has been languishing in a dilapidated state near the Gangasagar pond for years, with no local efforts to protect and preserve it.
The design of this road roller is strikingly similar to the John Fowler Roller recently preserved by the Patna Museum. Transport experts believe it was likely manufactured by the same company, ‘John Fowler & Co’ of Leeds, England, with similar specifications to the Patna road roller. The nearly century-old steam-powered road roller from Patna, after lying in poor condition at the Patna Museum for about 18 months, was recently preserved in a mechanical workshop by the Road Construction Department.
Abhinav Sinha, a 33-year-old mechanical engineer from Darbhanga, expressed his frustration over the local government’s and residents’ neglect of this “priceless heritage.” Sinha noted that the preservation of Patna’s road roller has increased public awareness about such historical artifacts. Despite the road roller’s years of neglect, Sinha and others now recognize its importance. Unfortunately, all the plates and markers of the Darbhanga road roller have gone missing, allegedly stolen over time due to their antique value.
Darbhanga hosts two museums near Gangasagar lake – Maharaja Lakshmishwar Singh Museum and Chandradhari Museum, both under the Bihar government. Narayan Chaudhary, a Darbhanga native, shared his unsuccessful attempts to persuade local museum officials to preserve the road roller. Despite contacting them in November last year, no action was taken.
Chaudhary questioned why the Darbhanga road roller couldn’t be preserved like the one in Patna, emphasizing the need to save it for future generations. According to sources in Darbhanga’s local museums, top officials lack interest in saving this historic machine, and no government agency has taken ownership, disappointing heritage lovers further.
A senior official from the Road Construction Department in Patna acknowledged the historical significance of the Darbhanga road roller and stated that efforts would be made to gather more information and preserve it.
