Despite the fact the large number of participation is registered from Uttarakhand in the Indian defence forces and equally number of retired defence personnel are living in the State, Uttarakhand does not have a single war memorial for the martyrs though more than one decade has passed since the formation of State.
Facing the callous approach of the State Government, the sacrifice and sentiments of so many officers and other ranks who fell in the line of duty are badly hurt. Sources confirmed that around 10 lakh defence personnel are living in all 13 districts of Uttarakhand.
Due to the non-availability of war memorial in the capital city, the defence personnel pay homage to martyrs at different places or any of war memorials raised after the name of famous battles. Following the victory in Operation Vijay, the Kargil war memorial was made at Gandhi Park, Dehradun, where defence personnel gathered to pay homage to the brave soldiers of the Indian defence forces.
Additionally, world renowned military establishments like Indian Military Academy and Rashtriya Indian Military College too has war memorials, where homage is paid to the brave soldiers on regular intervals. Sources confirmed that former Chief Minister Dr Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank had sanctioned Rs one crore for the construction of war memorial in the State capital but the process is moving at snails pace due to the non-availability of land. After highlighting the need of war memorial in the capital city, Brig (Retd) KG Behl, president, Dehradun Ex-services league, said that war memorial will not only become a specific place for paying homage to the brave solider of our country, who sacrificed their lives for nation but also motivates young blood to come forward to join the Indian defence forces.
“The war memorial has also potential for further rising motivation level among the youths and will finally help to overcome the shortage of defence forces,” he said, adding that the name of martyrs since India’s independence should be engraved on the war memorial.
IG SS Kothiyal (Retd) said that the State Government should take concrete steps for constructing war memorial for the defence personnel. According to him, defence personnel from Uttarakhand have distinction in terms of winning war for nation. IG Kothiyal said that for the betterment of soldiers and as a mark of respect along with medals, effective steps should be immediately initiated by the State Government for constructing war memorial in the name of defence personnel.