Decommissioned MiG-21 installed at Kanhaiya chowk

Tribune News Service

Bathinda, December 25

A decommissioned Indian Air Force (IAF) MiG-21 fighter plan was on Wednesday installed at Bhai Kanhaiya Chowk here. Finance Minister Manpreet Singh Badal, who visited the site, said he was proud that as soon as you would enter the city now, the fighter plane would greet you.

Manpreet Badal said it saluted the sacrifice, bravery, heroism of Punjabis. It would inspire the younger generation to join the prestigious armed forces. Besides, it also served as a warning to anyone who dared cast an evil eye on the country.

Bathinda Improvement Trust (BIT) Chairman KK Aggarwal said, “The BIT will spend Rs 13.80 lakh on installing the fighter plane at the Kanhaiya chowk as it would be painted and other related works would be done.”

He said Rs 8.50 lakh would be spent separately on the beautification of the park where the MiG-21 plane was installed. The tender for this work had already been floated.

However, in October 2018, Mayor Balwant Rai Nath had written a letter to Air Marshal SB Deo, Vice-Chief of the Indian Air Force, requesting for providing a decommissioned fighter plane, which would be placed at a chowk in Bathinda city.

Further, he said by placing a fighter plane would inspire feelings of patriotism among citizens, particularly children. Besides, children would always be ready to sacrifice their own interests for the good of the country.

The Mayor said, “The city boasts of important places like the Asia’s largest Army cantonment. Besides, it has a refinery, NFL, two thermal plants, two cement plants and the biggest cotton market in the region.” The Mayor had urged the IAF officials to direct the authorities concerned to provide a decommissioned fighter plane at the earliest.

Even the Mayor had written a letter to the Union Defence Minister demanding Army tanks to be kept at Fauji Chowk in the city. Later, instead of tanks, an aircraft gun was installed at Shaheed Nand Singh Chowk (Fauji Chowk) in the city.

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