Kerala: Politics delaying construction of Colonel Niranjan's memorial?
By Aishwarya Nair | First Published Sep 6, 2024, 10:34 AM ISTAfter a hunger strike by a Karimpuzha panchayat member in Palakkad, an all-party meeting was held to discuss the removal of flagpoles obstructing the construction of a memorial for Lt. Colonel Niranjan Kumar. The panchayat allocated Rs 23 lakhs from the Plan Fund for the project to honour the martyred soldier.
Palakkad: A panchayat member has accused both the CPM and BJP of blocking the construction of a memorial for a fallen soldier. K. Rajitha, a member of the Karimpuzha Grama Panchayat in Palakkad, has initiated a hunger strike to protest against those obstructing the creation of Lt. Colonel Niranjan's memorial.
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A comprehensive plan was prepared by the panchayat to honour Lt. Colonel Niranjan Kumar, who was killed in the Pathankot terror attack. The project includes the construction of a statue, interlocking on both sides of the road, installation of railings, and the creation of a modern bus stop. An amount of Rs 23 lakh was allocated from the plan fund for this purpose. It was agreed to remove all political party flagpoles from the site before starting the work.
While the Congress and Muslim League complied and removed their flagpoles, both the CPM and BJP refused to remove the poles placed at the memorial site, citing opposition to the move.
Following the hunger strike by the panchayat member, an all-party meeting was held again yesterday. In the meeting, both the CPM and BJP reiterated their stance that the memorial could be constructed without removing the flagpoles (Kodimaram). However, the panchayat has now decided to directly remove the illegal flagpoles from the public space based on a court order and proceed with the construction of the memorial.
On January 3rd, 2016, Niranjan, a seasoned bomb disposal expert, tragically lost his life while attempting to neutralize a grenade at the Pathankot airbase, which was under attack by terrorists.
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