Yet another Independence Day has passed, but the National Military Memorial, announced in 2009, remains unfinished. It is to draw attention to this fact that ‘Fauji Kids’, a committee of children of armed forces personnel, joined hands with well-known names from the city to organise an event at the memorial on Wednesday.
“The National Military Memorial, started in 2009, has not been inaugurated because our government has done absolutely nothing to shift one stone, the veeragallu (hero stone), required to complete the memorial,” said Surabhi Tomar from Fauji Kids. Wednesday’s line-up included a ‘memorial walk’ and a music performance.
“The memorial is said to be the first of its kind in the country. It was conceived to pay tribute to the 22,600 martyrs who laid down their lives post-Independence. A sum of ₹12 crore was allotted and the BDA was chosen to execute the project. The military delivered promptly on all the requests: the defence exhibits, the statue of the Unknown Soldier and the tallest national flag. The BDA had overall control of the project in matters of design. Yet, after nine long years, the project remains incomplete because the last item has not been installed,” said a statement from Fauji Kids.
The veeragallu is in a quarry 45 km out of Bengaluru, despite a tender being awarded in 2012 for it to be shifted.
he cost of the project has reportedly escalated to ₹25 crore.