Urdu academy put on the backburner

BHUBANESWAR: The Odisha Urdu Academy was born on February 7, 1987, to promote Urdu language and literature in the state. Let alone promotion of the language, the academy has not even given its awards to writers for the last 11 years. The academy is a picture of neglect bereft of any government patronage.
The academy has also failed to form a new general council even as nine months have passed since a new secretary (nominated) took charge.
These are adversely affecting the functioning of the academy, said an insider. The new executive body could only be formed after formation of the 48-member general council. The five-member executive body is empowered to take decisions on the academy's activities, including academy awards.
The file regarding formation of the council is pending with the chief minister's office, said tourism and culture minister Ashok Panda. "I have a few projects in mind. But these can be executed only after the council is formed," said Syed Mushir Alam, secretary of the academy. The academy was set up during the tenure of the then chief minister late J B Patnaik. "The academy needs a council for its smooth functioning," echoed Syed Manzoor Ahmed Quasmi, the first secretary of the academy. He is credited with taking several steps forthe development of the academy. tnn
It is time Naveen Patnaik government took minorities' issues and academy affairs seriously, said chairman of the minority cell of the Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee Sk Abdul Bari. He said development of minorities has taken a back seat during this government.
The academy is in tatters, said Syed Mujibur Rehman, a former member of the council. In the absence of a council the academy is lying defunct, said Moulana Matiullah Nazish, another former member.