Isn't it a matter of great shame for the Indian polity, to stoop so low down to bring unmatched disrespect to India's war heroes, who have already laid down their life for the shameless politicians, indifferent bureaucracy and the citizens of this country.
by Mohit Kandhari
[The eternal
flame at the country’s tallest martyr memorial the Balidan Sthambh in Jammu, built to pay tributes to 5,000
jawans who laid their lives fighting Kashmir militants and the war with
Pakistan, cannot be lit round-the-clock due to lack of funds.]
The failure
of the Indian Army and the Jammu and Kashmir Government to reach an
understanding on who will bear the maintenance expenditure has reduced the
Balidan Sthambh in Jammu to a tragic picture of neglect.
Since it takes
at least three LPG cylinders to light the Amar Jawan Jyoti, more often than not
the controlling knobs attached to the pipeline remain in the ‘off’ mode.
After the
inaugural ceremony in 2009, the State Government came in for sharp criticism
from certain quarters in the Kashmir Valley over its decision to maintain a war
memorial for jawans killed by militants. Since then, the State Government
machinery has been gripped by ‘inertia’ and no headway made vis-à-vis taking
charge of the memorial.
It is only
during Independence and Republic Day celebrations or planned functions of the
Indian Army that the pipelines are connected with ‘outsourced’ gas cylinders to
light the eternal flame to pay homage to the martyrs whose names are etched in
stone.
On other days,
India’s first war memorial — symbolising a rifle bayonet — stands neglected in
pitch darkness staring at an uncertain future.
In the absence
of regular maintenance, the black granite wall, on which the history of each of
the wars fought in Jammu and Kashmir since Independence is engraved, is also
losing its sheen. The boundary walls of the memorial are in dire need of
repair.
Even three
years after it was formally inaugurated and handed over to the State Chief
Minister Omar Abdullah by the then Chief of Army Staff Gen Deepak Kapoor on
November 24, 2009, the Army authorities continue to maintain it and hope that
the State Government will take it over sooner rather than later.
The State
information department had issued a press note NO : PR/DI/09/2832/ on November
24, 2009 which stated that “the
memorial was handed over to the Chief Minister by the Chief of Army Staff,
General Deepak Kapoor, at an impressive function attended by the Union Minister
for New and Renewable Energy Dr Farooq Abdullah...”
The Balidan Sthambh, built at a
cost of Rs 11 crore over four years, was
handed over to Omar Abdullah after a formal understanding was reached between
the Army and the Government to promote it as a tourist destination. But the final discussions over who will bear the
recurring expenditure of maintaining the memorial and for how long remained
inconclusive. Since then the War Memorial is facing neglect at the highest
level.
Sources in the
Army headquarters in New Delhi confirmed to The Pioneer,“initially the State
Government had pledged a sum of Rs 1 lakh towards maintenance charges, but over
two years it even stopped paying maintenance charges and did not promote
the ‘monument of sacrifice’ on the tourist map of the State.” Official sources also confirmed that
during a recent meeting with the State Chief Secretary Madhav Lal, Major
General of 26 Tiger Division raised the issue of releasing pending maintenance
charges. The outcome of the meeting is not known.
At present
the 36 Infantry Brigade located in Sunjwan on the outskirts of Jammu is looking
after the maintenance work of the memorial on behalf of the 26 Tiger
Division falling under Western Command.
The caretakers
and security personnel stationed at the memorial told this correspondent, “it is becoming very
difficult to maintain the memorial on a daily basis in the absence of adequate
support staff. Most of the time the Amar Jawan Jyoti remains off in the absence
of any formal arrangement of gas supply.”
“Due to
ongoing negotiations with the State Government, the Army headquarters or the
Ministry of Defence is yet to allocate a fixed budget for maintaining the
Balidan Sthambh,” official sources revealed.
The State
Chief Secretary Madhav Lal is yet to respond to the questionnaire
forwarded to him by The Pioneer on September 24, 2012. When contacted
by The Pioneer, Director Tourism, Jammu, Robin Mehta and Deputy Commissioner
Jammu, Sanjeev Verma, said they were not aware about the current status of
Balidan Sthambh.
Mehta
confirmed in the last 18 months he has not seen any official communique in this
regard. A formal
response to the questionnaire submitted to the office of the Ministry of
Defence spokesperson in Jammu is also awaited since September 25, 2012.
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