Mohali to spend Rs 21.67 lakh on beautification of Chapparchiri war memorial

“There is an immediate need for landscaping. With the passage of time there is an issue of maintenance. We have invited tenders and the work of landscaping will be done within a period of two months,” said a GMADA official.

The memorial is spread over around 20 acres of land at Chapparchiri village. The memorial suffered neglect in the past eight years. The memorial has the country’s tallest victory tower and it was once an attraction for the people.

The roads leading towards the memorial are in a bad shape. However, the construction of the road at Chapparchiri village was started as it broke due to the movement of heavy traffic.

During the monsoon season, the situation worsens as the water fills in the potholes on the outer road leading to the memorial.

The memorial also has an open air theatre, a canteen but both have not been in use for a long time. When the canteen was made operational around two years ago, the visitors alleged overcharging by the contractors. A small theatre which was built inside the premises of the memorial to show religious movies too did not get operational in the last eight years.

A security guard working at the memorial said that around one-and-a-half years ago, there was a good number of visitors who used to visit the memorial but over the years the number declined. He added that the memorial was not being looked after well.

“Usually, school students come to visit the memorial. A water body inside the memorial too needs proper attention,” he added.