While the nation celebrated the 17th anniversary of the Kargil war as Vijay Divas on Tuesday to remember the son of the soil who lost their lives in the war, in Kendrapada, the district administration and the State Government have forgotten to keep a promise to a Kargil martyr’s family to erect a memorial tower at their native village.
Though 17 years have passed to the demise of martyr Sachidananda Mallick, a resident of Kandiahata under Rajkanika tehsil of the coastal district, but the district administration has failed to keep its promise of completing the martyr tower for Sachidananda.
Only the foundation stone of martyr tower has been laid 15 years before at a land near Kandiahaat police out post. Other than this, nothing else has been done.
“My son was enrolled in Army as a sepoy in 1989. later, he was promoted to lance Naik. He died in the Kargil battle at Dras Sector on June 28, 1999. Sachidananda was the fifth Odia who got martyrdom in the Kargil war,” said Sachidananda’s septuagenarian widow mother Malati Mallick.
Remembering the past, Malati said the then Collector of Kendrapada Nrusingha Mohapatra had attended the funeral of my youngest son Sachidananda, and had provided Rs 2 lakh compensation to my daughter-in-law along with a letter given by the then Chief Minister Giridhari Gomango.
later, on the second death anniversary of my son, the then Collector Krushna Chandra Mohanty and the former MP of Kendrapada Pravat Kumar Samantaray paid a visit to Kandia in order to lay foundation stone of Sachidananda Smruti Stamba in a land at the native village, she said.
It is purely unfortunate that the State Government has shown disrespect to a martyr. It really hurts the parents of the martyr as well as the villagers, stated Captain Surendra Kumar Sahu of Chanchuni who had participated in Kargil War.
The Government has also neglected the old parents of Sachidananda. His father of died last year, whereas his septuagenarian mother is suffering from diabetes. The district administration should take immediate steps for the completion of the martyr tower that is yet to be constructed. The martyr tower will be a befitting honour for the Kargil hero, stated district secretary of Ex-Servicemen Association of Kendrapada Maheswar Kar.
When contacted, district Collector Debaraj Senapati stated that he would take steps for constructing the martyr tomb.