‘Shaheed smarak’ a distant dream for Ambala Cantt

Manish Sirhindi

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Tribune News Service

Ambala, February 9

A project to build a ‘shaheed smarak’ in memory of 1857 revolt heroes is far from reality. The site has been reduced to a dumping ground, despite the district administration’s order banning garbage dumping at the site.

Even as local residents have been frequently demanding a war memorial in Ambala Cantonment, the project, which was conceived in 2010 by then Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda, has been getting delayed for one reason or another.

The government had acquired 22 acres near the local IOC depot and sanctioned Rs 17 crore for it. A team of experts from Chandigarh and Delhi was also constituted. It visited the site a number of times and drafted a plan to bring up the memorial. Following this, it was decided that a foundation laying ceremony of the project would be held.  But it had to be deferred at the last hour.

Those pursuing the authorities to get the project started said the 1857 revolt, the first struggle for freedom, started at Ambala Cantonment on May 9. Thus, it had been decided that a memorial would be built here. The memorial could have the status similar to Jallianwala Bagh, said Arun Johar, a senior advocate and the national president of the Jaago Yuva Jaago Mission, Chandigarh.

A district administration official said almost all modalities to construct the memorial had been completed. A special team of artisans from Lucknow had also been engaged by the state government to carry out works on the memorial, but as the foundation stone of the project could not be laid, the project never took off.

However, the land acquired for the project has now been reduced to a dumping ground, raising concerns among residents. Johar said the demand for a national-level memorial in the memory of martyrs was pending since 2007. He said now the supporters of the memorial had pinned hopes on the Chief Minister and Health Minister Anil Vij, who had always supported the demand.