Green activists win against K'taka war memorial

Bangalore, Jul 2: Amid pressure from the green activists, Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yeddyurappa on Thursday, Jul 1 announced that the war memorial will not be established at the Indira Gandhi Musical Fountain Park.

“We will look for new space far better than the present one," the CM said in response to a query by R K Siddarama (BJP).

However, he did not mention any reason for his sudden decision.

The government's initiative, led by Rajya Sabha MP Rajeev Chandrashekhar, to build a memorial in honour of the 1971 Bangladesh war heroes had not fit in well with the environmentalists , activists, as well as the residents of the area as they believed that it would disturb the ecological balance and serenity of the park.

The had also activists moved the Supreme Court for a stay on the construction of the war memorial.

While BSY's sudden flip flop on the memorial may be a relief to those who protested against the initiative, the move has "humiliated" those who worked for the war heroes memorial.

“We are not only very disappointed but also very humiliated by the CM"s decision for calling off work at the memorial, which was supported by all citizens. It is sad that such a memorial, which would have been the first of its kind in the country, has been dragged into a controversy," spokesperson of the sub-committee on the memorial, Major General (Retd) M C Nanjappa is quoted as saying in a newspaper.

OneIndia News