Work on Kalam's memorial to begin on Saturday

Rameswaram (TN), Oct 14: The work on construction of a memorial for former president A P J Abdul Kalam is to commence on Saturday, coinciding with his 85th birth anniversary.

A team of DRDO officials led by P K Singh arrived here today and visited the memorial site at Peikarumbu here where Kalam was laid to rest after his death in July last year.

They held discussions with local officials regarding various aspects of the memorial. Officials said a total of Rs 50 crore had been allocated for the memorial and a knowledge centre.

In the first phase, Rs 15 crore would be spent for the construction of the memorial on a 27,000 sq ft area. It would cover the burial site and a statue of Kalam.

The memorial would be ready for inauguration on July 27 next year when the former president's second death anniversary falls. The construction of knowledge centre will be taken up in the second phase.

PTI