Located in the heart of Kurigram's Rowmari upazila, the country's first ever post-office remains in an awful state for long due to negligence of the authorities concerned.

The historical structure is supposed to be a testimony to the country's glorious past, but it is now in a shabby condition due to lack of supervision and renovation work.

The tin-shed structure at Bazarpara that once used as the post office building may collapse anytime if it is hit by a strong wind or heavy rainfalls, said locals.

According to officials at the postal department, Rowmari branch Post Office was established immediately after the partition of the subcontinent in 1947.

Later it was promoted to Rowmari Sub-Post Office in 1966.

During the Liberation War in 1971, several branches of post offices, located in Rajibpur, Jadur Char, Tapur Char, Dantbhanga, Shoulmari and Gendar Alga, were functional under Rowmari Sub-Post Office, about 50 metre far from Rowmari CG Zaman High School.

During the Liberation War, Rowmari CG Zaman High School was used as a training camp for the freedom fighters.

Nearly 30,000 freedom fighters from different regions across the country took training there and many freedom fighters used to send and receive letters through Rowmari Sub-Post Office then, locals said.

After the war, the post office started functioning in full swing.

In 1984, the then government constructed a two-storey post office building adjacent to the tin-shed old office and shifted its activities to the new building.

During the shifting, an old bicycle, a telephone set, a letter box, a locker and some historical documents were recovered from the tin-shed office and kept preserved in the new building.

But the corrugated tin-made old structure remains unprotected since then.

"The tin-made old post office room is a witness of many historical events, but it is now on the verge of ruination due to lack of maintenance for long," said local resident Kobbas Ali Chisti, 70.

"The authorities concerned should take immediate measures to protect and preserve the old structure of the post office," Postmaster at Rowmari Post Office Al Amin Hossain said.

Contacted, Rowmari Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Nahid Hasan Khan said design to build a glass house around the old post office room has already been completed.