Statues of martyrs look desolate on eve of Independence Day

Ravi Chandel

Tribune News Service

Bathinda, August 14

On the eve of Independence Day, when the country is busy making preparations for celebrations and functions to mark the day, many monuments and places named after the great freedom fighters look desolate.

Many such places in the city have faced neglect of the district administration on this occasion. They include Jarnail Singh Rathore Chowk near the Multania flyover, Parasram Nagar Chowk near the railway underbridge and Fauji Chowk in the heart of the city.

Jarnail Singh Rathore Chowk

Hav. Jarnail Singh Rathore, a Punjab Police commando, laid down his life while fighting with terrorists. He was deployed in Jammu and Kashmir during elections in 2002.

At that time, the Captain Amarinder Singh government had built a roundabout near the Multania flyover and named it as Jarnail Singh Chowk. A welfare society was also launched after the name of the martyr.

Avtar Singh Goga, president of the Jarnail Singh Rathore Welfare Society, said, “Despite repeatedly bringing it to the notice of the authorities, nobody bothers to give it a facelift and decorate it. We painted it on our own and decorated it,” he said.

Sandeep Singh Chowk near Parasram Nagar

Soldier Sandeep Singh of the 20 Sikh Regiment laid down his life fighting with the Pakistan army in the Kargil war. The government built a statue of the brave soldier in his memory.

Ratha Singh Dhillon, father of the soldier, said, “The authorities only give assurances. They haven’t decorated the statue of Sandeep Singh over the years. Municipal councillor Vijay paints and decorates the statue on his own every year.”