Symbols, statues, busts, statuettes, pillars and the like raised in memory of those brave souls who offered their supreme sacrifices need to be looked after, maintained, commemorated periodically and all allied activities done which befit those martyrs’ sacrifices and fulfils the objectives for which such symbols of memories were raised. So far so good but when analysed on these touchstones of seriousness and the extent of emotional patriotic attachments with these silent memoirs, the case of “Balidan Sitambh” constructed with a whopping amount of Rs.13 crores in the heart of Jammu is, we are afraid, looking to be orphaned as there is none to claim as its “owners” or care takers, neither by those who raised it nor by the JMC, nor by the UT Government in respect of taking any initiative to convert it into a memorial worth the name. Incredible all this, indeed, but since the same is clamouring for being “owned” by some agency /institution/ NGO or whatever, we feel the “Balidan Sitambh” should really be made such so as to speak sagas of sacrifice which the brave and great souls make for the country so that we live securely and peacefully. Department of Tourism, JMC, concerned Army authorities etc jointly need to address the issue and hopefully some positive solution befitting the sanctity of the memorial will emerge soon.
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