State defends construction of war memorial

State defends construction of war memorial

Express News ServiceFirst Published : 20 Apr 2010 05:06:00 AM IST
BANGALORE: The state on Monday defended the construction of war memorial in Indira Gandhi Musical Fountain Park.
In an objection filed in the Karnataka High Court, T Sunil Kumar, Secretary of Public Works Department, said the proposed war memorial would be a prestigious landmark in the state and a model for the entire nation.
The objection was filed against the petition of a resident welfare association, that said the construction was unlawful.
Krishna Apartment Owners Welfare Association filed a petition, stating that the proposed memorial was contrary to provisions of the Karnataka Government Park (Preservation) Act, 1975.
In its objection, the state said the construction of the underground memorial would not hamper the green cover of the park. The objection stated the motivation hall would be used for paying homage to martyrs and was to encourage youth to join military.
The state that submitted the petition before a division bench comprising of justice Manjula Chellur and justice Mohanshanthan Gowder, contended that the memorial would not be used only for the intended purpose. Further, the state said that the memorial would remain a government property. The petition stated that the park span 17 acre and 4 guntas. Of it, 6 acre and 20 gunta of land will be used for the memorial. On September 17, 2008, the Cabinet approved the War Memorial Committee, which consisted of 12 members.
On February 28, 2009, the National Military Memorial Trust was formed to carry out the project. The government approved the project on May 12, 2009.
Meanwhile, the National Military Memorial Trust has filed objections supporting the construction of the memorial.
The memorial consists of 60-ft monolithic stone and 120-ft national flag post along with flags of navy, airforce and army. The court has adjourned the hearing to Thursday.
‘Don’t shift memorial’
Members of the Hindu Jagarana Vedike held a peaceful demo at the Mahatma Gandhi Park on Monday protesting against the change in location of the proposed war memorial. The demonstrators shouted slogans supporting the construction at the originally proposed site. “We urge the government to continue its work on the memorial in the park,” said KT Ullas, the joint convener of the vedike.