M A I N   N E W S

National war memorial soon: Centre
President, PM pay homage to martyrs on 15th anniversary of Kargil Vijay Divas
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, July 26
President Pranab Mukherjee today led the nation in paying homage to the martyrs on the 15th anniversary of Kargil Vijay Divas. The Central government said it would soon finalise the site for the construction of the National War Memorial.

In his message, the President lauded the courage and valour of the Indian armed forces and called upon them to “continue to do their duty on our frontiers with honour and dedication”.

On his part, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said: “We remember the indomitable courage and sacrifice of our armed forces. The nation salutes these brave martyrs.”

Later, Jaitley said he and the Service Chiefs would soon visit the Princess Park area close to India Gate to take a decision on the location of the war memorial, “where names of all those who sacrificed their lives for the country will be written.”

For a long time, the armed forces have been advocating a war memorial and the previous UPA Government constituted a Group of Ministers under the then Defence Minister AK Antony to sort out inter-ministerial issues, including location.

There were reservations over building such a memorial near India Gate after the Antony Committee decided that it be located in that area. During 2013, the then Delhi Chief Minister opposed the proposal to construct the memorial in the India Gate area.

The Princess Park area has a single-storey complex, where service officers and staff have residential accommodation. Jaitley today said the site was among the best available in the India Gate area.

“It is a large piece of land and I think it is appropriate for the war museum...as soon as details are finalised, we will have to get sanctions from all departments,” he said.