Centre plans one memorial for prominent leaders

Prompted by the shrinking nature of prime land in the national capital, the UPA government has come up with a plan to build a common samadhi or memorial for the nation's tallest leaders.

Prompted by the shrinking nature of prime land in the national capital, the UPA government has come up with a plan to build a common samadhi or memorial for the nation's tallest leaders.

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The new memorial — Rashtriya Smriti — is to come up on the eastern bank of the Yamuna, close to the Samadhi complex, which comprises memorials of 12 top Indian leaders including Mahatma Gandhi at Raj Ghat.

The proposed structure, meant to serve as a common memorial for presidents, vice-presidents, prime ministers and any other person decided by the Union cabinet, will have inscribed plaques honouring the departed leaders.

It will also have an adjoining area that will be used for cremation purposes.

A draft cabinet note on the project was recently circulated for inter ministerial consultation. The finance ministry's department of expenditure cleared it.

The ministry of environment and forest requested that the memorial be developed in an 'environment friendly manner', while the home ministry hasn’t supported the plan at all.

The new proposal is expected to tabled before the cabinet soon.

In 2000, the cabinet passed a decision to ban the old practice of converting government bungalows into memorials.