Punjab chief minister (CM) Bhagwant Mann will finally dedicate the Nishan-e-Inquilab Plaza on December 4 at the Shaheed Bhagat Singh International Airport.
Confirming the news, Mohali deputy commissioner (DC) Aashika Jain along with senior police and administrative officers, took stock of the preparations.
The DC said the plaza has a 30-feet-tall statue of legendary freedom fighter and hero of the nation, Bhagat Singh, as a main attraction that would make the people aware of the supreme sacrifices made during the independence struggle of the country.
“We will ensure least botheration to commuters during the event. Special emphasis has been made on keeping the area free of any traffic obstruction,” DC Jain said.
Notably, CM Mann was set to inaugurate the statue on September 28, the birth anniversary of Bhagat Singh.
According to the administrative officers here, it was then postponed due to the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) enforced in view of panchayat elections held on October 15. The MCC was further extended due to November bypolls.
Considered to be the brainchild of the Punjab CM, the aesthetically designed statue has been made of gunmetal.
{{/usCountry}}Considered to be the brainchild of the Punjab CM, the aesthetically designed statue has been made of gunmetal.
{{/usCountry}}The state government floated the tender for the construction of the Nishan-E-Inquilab Plaza, including the statue of Bhagat Singh at the international airport here on June 6 last year. The tender was allotted on July 19, 2023, at the tender amount of ₹ 6.42 crore.
Initially, a clay model was prepared at a site in Jaipur, following which the CM gave approval and directed to initiate the process of making the statue as per the clay model.
The statue of Bhagat Singh was installed here on August 2, 2024, and the project, including the beautification of the plaza, was completed by September 20.
BJP protesters detained
Around 25 Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders and workers were detained on Monday as they marched towards the airport to protest against the delayed unveiling of Bhagat Singh’s statue.
Heavy police force was deployed to restrain the protesters.
BJP senior leaders, including Kewal Dhillon, Fatehjang Bajwa, Subhash Sharma, Anil Sarin, Vineet Joshi, Sanjiv Vashisht and Sushil Rinku, marched towards the airport to unveil the statue before they were detained and taken to the Mataur police station.
BJP had earlier given an ultimatum of 72 hours to the AAP-led Punjab government for unveiling the statue.