A girl takes a selfie standing on the front wheel of a nearly-century-old steamroller at the city museum as her friends huddle around her. Surrounded by filth at the demolition site of the Patna Collectorate only a few days ago, the fate of this vintage machine has changed overnight.
The roadroller, manufactured by John Fowler and Co, Leeds, England, that lay decrepit in a forelorn corner of the 12-acre collectorate campus for several decades was rescued in the early hours of Thursday and sent to the Patna Museum, culminating a dramatic chain of events that unfolded since the demolition of the landmark began mid-May.
Ever since it has arrived at the museum, it has become a "star attraction" and visitors, especially the youth, are vying to get a selfie with it and enquiring about its history, a senior official of the Patna Museum told PTI on Saturday.
From lying neglected in a corner of the collectorate campus to attracting "huge eyeballs from visitors" at the museum, its fate has changed overnight, he said.
However, the arrival of the vintage steamroller has also spawned "incorrect and distorted news reports" in a section of the media, including several web portals.
While some portals have erroneously claimed that it was "lying 70 feet beneath the ground" and then "excavated" during "digging work", several web channels and a leading Hindi daily also claimed that "it is 150 years old", without verification, officials said.
Transport heritage experts have pegged its age at close to 100 or so. It is unfortunate that a section of media, "especially some news portals" are spreading "incorrect and distorted news reports" on the history of the roadroller and how it was rescued, the senior official said.
Higher authorities in the Bihar government's art and culture department said they have taken cognisance of the matter and "steps have been taken to curb its spread".
"We are delighted that Patna Museum is now in possession of this rare vintage machine that was earlier lying in the Patna Collectorate campus. A team of experts from Patna Museum had visited the campus in July and inspected the roadroller and other antique items, following which we rescued the roadroller," Director, Museums of Bihar, Deepak Anand told PTI.
"We will display it properly with a board carrying information about it so that authentic information is conveyed to people," he said.
He said he was aware that some web portals and digital news channels on YouTube were reporting "unauthentic and unverified information" through videos.
Till recently, its heavy iron wheels lay partially buried in a pile of earth. It was lifted by a crane and transported in a truck to the Patna Museum close to midnight of August 24.
Save Historic Patna Collectorate, a citizen-led initiative, had popularised the vintage roadroller through hosting heritage walks and online sessions, while drawing attention of authorities to its poor condition.
"The roadroller was rescued after the digging work, which may have led to confusion, but none of these local media who have erroneously reported on it, have contacted us to get the authentic version," the senior official of the museum said.
"The roadroller stood very much on ground with just its wheels partially buried, and only the soil was removed around it. It is ridiculous that some local media have also falsely reported that it was dug out from '70 ft beneath the ground'," the official said.
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