Ferozepur: Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann to lay stone of Saragarhi War Memorial tomorrow

Anirudh Gupta

Ferozepur, September 10

Four years after a grant of Rs 1 crore was released for the development of the historic Saragarhi War Memorial, the state government has finally decided to start work on it. The foundation stone will be laid by Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann during a state-level event here on Tuesday.

Since 2019, owing to the procedural wrangles and apathy, the grant kept lying in the state coffers. Earlier, The Tribune had highlighted the matter on September 9, 2019 regarding the non-receipt of the grant announced by the then CM Capt Amarinder Singh during his visit to this memorial on September 12, 2018. As a result, the grant was released the same day, but no decision was taken for its proper utilisation.

Even the tourist facilitation centre set up under the centrally funded ‘Swadesh Darshan’ scheme has not started so far even though its construction was completed last year.

The other announcements, including setting up of a light and sound show, Institute of Studies for Entry into Armed Forces, centre for rehabilitation of drug addicts, announced from time to time are also nowhere in sight. The forest land behind the memorial — which was to be developed as Saragarhi Lake — remains infested with wild growth.

Most visiting dignitaries have been promising to make this memorial one of the iconic monuments in the country, but in vain. Even the meetings of Saragarhi Memorial Trust, set up to oversee the development of the memorial, have not taken place.

Rajesh Dhiman, DC, said that already a plan to set up a war memorial has been finalised, adding that the foundation stone will be laid on September 12. The DC said that earlier, the grant could not be used as the cost of setting up the memorial got inflated to Rs 1.25 crore due to the delay in the project. However, now the process has been expedited and work would be completed in six months. It will include installation of a statue of Havildar Ishar Singh and a mural depicting the historic Saragarhi fort.

Two years ago, a 10-ft-tall bronze statue of Havildar Ishar Singh was set up in Wolverhampton UK. Even a special team of British Army officers had come here to visit the memorial to mark its 125th anniversary. “While the monument related to the battle of Saragarhi was set up in the UK, nothing was done at the actual memorial site here,” said Gurbhej Tibbi, member of Saragarhi Foundation, while lauding the initiative of the district administration to develop the memorial now.