By M.T. Yogesh Kumar

Mysore/Mysuru: After a long wait, the construction of a War Memorial in city is finally seeing the light of the day with high-quality black granite stones being cut and shaped in Chamarajanagar. The State Government has already released Rs.50 lakh for the project that is estimated to cost Rs.1.41 crore.

The Memorial will be constructed at the five-acre Public Park (previously a Parade Ground) adjacent to the Deputy Commissioner’s Office which is right in front of NCC Group Headquarters. The Memorial per se will come up at a plot measuring 40×40 feet inside the erstwhile Parade Ground. 

The black granite stone is being procured from a quarry in Chamarajanagar that is owned by H.M. Puttamadaiah. He is donating the stones free of cost and the estimated value of the stones is over Rs. 65-70 lakh.

The 80-year-old told Star of Mysore that he is donating the stone in honour of Defence personnel who have made the supreme sacrifice for the cause of nation. 

The granite stones have already been sent from the quarry to SVV Granites in Chamarajanagar where they are being cut and shaped as per the Memorial requirement. Even the stone cutting and shaping — estimated to cost over Rs. 10 lakh — is done by the factory owner A. Srinath free of cost. The quarry owner and the stone cutting factory owner will get Commendation Certificates for their contributions. 

Recently, Chamarajanagar ADC C.L. Ananda visited the quarry site and the stone cutting factory and inspected the cutting and shaping works. He was accompanied by Maj. Gen. (Retd.) S.G. Vombatkere, VSM, Maj. Gen. (Retd.) K.K. Murthy, Brig. (Retd.) V.K. Adappa, SM, Lt. Col (Retd.) Vijay Kumar and Maj. (Retd.) J.R. Balasubramaniam, Deputy Director, District Sainik Board Mysuru.

It may be mentioned here that Chamarajanagar ADC Ananda, as the Assistant Commissioner (AC) of Mysuru, had taken up the cause of the Memorial and had completed the necessary process and through the Mysuru District Administration had sent the proposal to the State Government. 

Ananda, who has served in the Army for 15 years, convinced the quarry owner to donate the granite stones as a mark of respect to the sacrifices made by Defence forces. This inspired the stone cutting company to cut the stones free of cost. It was Mandetira N. Subramani of VeKare Ex-Servicemen Trust who had submitted a proposal to the State Government and the Mysuru District Administration in the year 2000 to build a War Memorial in Mysuru. 

The War Memorial will be in the form of a Square and will have the elements of the city’s heritage. The main entrance depicting the three symbols of the Armed Forces combined will be constructed. The remaining three sides will have the Army, Air Force and Navy insignia separately and will display the Army tanks, fighting planes, Navy ships, guns and other weapons used by the Armed Forces.