New Delhi, Aug 8 (Inditop.com) A group of ministers (GoM) led by Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee will look into the delay in the construction of the National War Memorial, an official said Saturday.
The proposal for the War Memorial has been in the pipeline for some years but the issue of its location has delayed its construction.
The GoM has been set up following instructions from the Prime Minister’s Office.
The group, which also includes Defence Minister A.K. Antony and Urban Development Minister S. Jaipal Reddy, “has been formed to look into the delay in the allotment of a site for the National War Memorial”, the official of the defence ministry said.
The defence ministry had earlier informed the Lok Sabha that the construction of the National War Memorial has been in a limbo for the last five decades due to the delay by the urban development ministry in allotting land for it.
The memorial, designed by noted architect Charles Correa, would be the first to commemorate the sacrifice of thousands of Indian soldiers in World War II and the wars that India has fought since independence.
Minister of State for Defence M.M. Pallam Raju said earlier this week that the ministry of urban development has been requested to “assign the requisite land”.
“Since the construction of the National War Memorial is contingent upon the allotment of land by the ministry of urban development, that ministry has to expedite.”
The urban development ministry and the Delhi Urban Art Commission have been objecting to the memorial, saying it would spoil the ambience at the India Gate. However, the defence ministry says the monument would only be a little higher than the ground.
