Atal’s statue on The Ridge

Tribune News Service

Shimla, August 20

Late Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee had a special fondness and love for Himachal and the hill state now wants to keep his memory alive by installing his statue next to that of Mahatma Gandhi, Indira Gandhi and first Chief Minister Dr YS Parmar.

The Cabinet, which met here on Monday under the chairmanship of Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur, decided to install the statue of Vajpayee on the historic Ridge. It also decided to construct a memorial dedicated to the former PM in Manali, where he owns a cottage.

The Cabinet passed a resolution, urging the Centre to rename the Rohtang tunnel and 800-MW Kol Dam hydel project in Bilaspur after Vajpayee. “The idea to construct the Rohtang tunnel, connecting landlocked hinterland Lahaul with the rest of the world, was conceived by Vajpayee in 1998 and the project was announced by him on June 3, 2000,” the resolution read.

A memorial in memory of Vajpayee in Manali, where he would spend at least a week every summer in his cottage on the banks of Beas in Prini village, was also proposed. Lauding the contribution of Vajpayee for the nation in general and for Himachal in particular, the Cabinet decided to rename the Mukhyamantri Adarsh Vidya Kendra Scheme as the Atal Adarsh Vidya Kendra and Mukhyamantri Aashirwad Scheme as the Atal Aashirwad Scheme.

Describing Vajpayee as a multi-faceted personality, the resolution said he was an outstanding orator, a poet and a passionate journalist. “He showered his love and affection towards the state by giving approval and sanctioning various mega projects, for which the people of the state will always remain indebted to him,” the Cabinet said.