2 sites shortlisted for MMS memorial

The government has shortlisted two locations for allotment of land to build a memorial to late Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

Union Urban Affairs Minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Thursday said the two sites, near the Rajghat memorial complex area, were located at the same place where other former PMs’ memorials had earlier been built. Khattar said the family of Dr Singh was being consulted and their decision would be final on the location of the memorial site.

Union Housing and Urban Affairs Secretary Katikithala Srinivas is learnt to have met the family of the former PM in the national capital today to convey the location of the shortlisted sites. The family will now get back to the government about the spot that they finalise.

Khattar said once the family takes a call, a trust would be formed and the selected land would be allotted to the trust for Re 1 and the trust would build the memorial.

“In the case of late PM AB Vajpayee, land had been similarly allotted to a trust... That trust had built Sadaiv Atal, the Atal memorial in the Rashtriya Smriti Sthal near the Raj Ghat area,” the minister said, adding that the trust that would be allotted the land would not be a government trust and would be an institution of the family’s choice.

The Tribune has learnt that the two shortlisted memorial sites are likely located at the Ekta Sthal Samadhi Complex where memorials of former Presidents Giani Zail Singh, Shankar Dayal Sharma, KR Narayanan and R Venkatraman and those of former PM Chandrashekhar, IK Gujral and PV Narasimha Rao are located.

Ekta Sthal is learnt to have space for two more memorials as of today.