War memorial may be thrown open to public on Kargil Day

All eyes are on the proposed national military memorial which may be thrown open to public on July 26, the Kargil Day.

On Wednesday, a few ex-servicemen led by former Army chief Gen S Padmanabhan and former Lt Gen A Natarajan visited the Indira Gandhi Musical Fountain where the memorial is coming up.

Officials accompanying the team, said the ex-servicemen came to check the status of the work. They came to analyse what was needed to be housed in the motivational hall of the memorial from the military side. At the hall, all the three services — Air Force, Army and Navy — will showcase their weapons and strength.

An ex-serviceman, on the condition of anonymity, said, “Work is under way at the site. The tentative date of BDA handing over the site is May 31, after which it will take two months to finish the interiors and run trials. The memorial may be opened on Kargil Day, July 26.

Lt Gen Natarajan ruled out the need for special security at the memorial as the weapons on show would be obsolete. All measures will be taken according to protocol.

Gen Padmanabhan suggested that a section of the motivational hall should highlight historic battles like those fought by of Tippu, and the nawabs. Plans are also on to bring tanks, missile boats and battle seals to the venue. There will also be an audio-visual show.

A BDA official, on condition of anonymity, said the basic building work had been completed and work on landscaping is under way.