Environmentalists are crying foul over Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa's about-turn on Friday on the war memorial at the Indira Gandhi Musical Fountain Park barely a fortnight after he told the Legislative Council that it would be parked elsewhere in the city.
Ground-level ozone
Environmentalist A.N. Yellappa Reddy wondered why the Government was adamant on constructing the memorial at such a congested site when it had the option of getting defence land.
“The present site has a high level of ground-level ozone [the primary constituent of smog] which is dangerous if inhaled,” he said, adding that the felling of trees to make way for the memorial will only worsen the situation.
Mr. Reddy said that some of those who were fighting for the memorial were aware of this. Visitors would be more prone to go home with diseases instead of patriotism if the memorial came up on that site, he added.
Meanwhile, those who have been fighting for the memorial are elated. Rohit Nair, founder-member of the Bangalore Patriots Society, said Mr. Yeddyurappa's promise had given a new hope to the martyrs' families.
Petitions
“Over 20,000 citizens of Karnataka have signed petitions. We trust the Bangalore Development Authority will complete the stalled project immediately,” he said.
Rajiv Chandrashekhar, member of Parliament and chairperson of the National Military Memorial Committee, said in a press release: “By this decision, the State Government has stuck to its commitment [to] honour the sacrifices and lives of the hundreds of servicemen from our State and to make their lives… a source of inspiration to our young generations.”
