Ravinder Sood

Palampur, July 27

On the 20th Kargil Vijay Diwas, tributes were paid to brave soldiers, who laid down their lives in the line of duty. Various functions were held in the town.

The Rotary Club, district unit of the BJP and other social bodies paid homage to martyrs Capt Vikram Batra, Capt Saurabh Kalia and Major Sudhir Walia. The three sons of Palampur, who sacrificed their lives in the Kargil war.

Minister Vipin Singh Parmar, while presiding over the function, organised by the local unit of the BJP here last night announced that all projects named after martyrs not only in Palampur, but all over the state would be properly maintained by the state government.

He said the government would give a facelift to all such projects soon.

The state lost hundreds of soldiers in the Kargil war and militancy operations. If one looks at the figures, Kangra, Hamirpur and Mandi districts have received the highest number of bodies. In the past 20 years, most of the attacks were reported from Jammu&Kashmir and North. Even in the Kabul embassy attack, the state lost two of its officers. In the Kargil war, the state had the highest causalities (41 soldiers from Himachal were killed).

Unfortunately the projects named in memory of Kargil war heroes have been left mid-way, the reason cited by officials is — financial constraints and red-tape.

Despite repeated requests, the government has failed to complete the projects. A Tribune team met a number of parents of martyrs today, who were shocked at the attitude of the government. A number of roads named in memory of martyrs are either in bad shape or awaiting completion for the past 20 years. The Sorabh Van Vihar, named after Capt Sorabh Kalia, was washed away in the last rainy season. It is yet to catch the attention of the authorities.

Senior BJP leader Shanta Kumar had requested the government for allocation of funds for the reconstruction of the project, but to date not even a single penny has been released by the Thakur government.

The project has been facing neglect. It was earlier funded by MP Shanta Kumar from his MP LAD funds and partly by the government.

The road leading to the houses of the martyrs all over the district are in bad shape. Despite repeated requests, the government has done nothing to repair the stretches or roads.

Scant regard for martyrs

A number of roads named in memory of martyrs are either in bad shape or awaiting completion for the past 20 years. The Sorabh Van Vihar, named after Capt Sorabh Kalia, which was washed away in the last rainy season, is yet to catch the attention of the authorities.