The National Police Memorial that leading architects and conservationists has described as an eyesore is to be brought down.
The Union home ministry has approached the Union Cabinet to write off the crores of rupees spent on erecting the memorial and dismantle the memorial. An official said most of the Rs 13 crore budgeted for the memorial had been spent.
The Cabinet had in January referred the proposal to a Group of Ministers chaired by Union home minister Shivraj Patil. The GoM met on Tuesday and is understood to have given its nod.
The memorial conceived and approved by the NDA regime had run into a controversy after conservationists pleaded with the Delhi High Court to stop construction of the 150-feet high steel memorial. The court stayed construction of the memorial on their plea that it would completely block the view of Rashtrapati Bhavan from Shantipath and violated Lutyens' Bungalow Zone regulations.
It has also been pointed out that work on the memorial was built without approval of the Cabinet. Home ministry officials say an order issued in the 1950s had made cabinet approval mandatory for all memorials in the Capital.
Officials said the proposal would be sent back to the Cabinet shortly with the views of the GoM for its final approval.
Email Aloke Tikku: atikku@hindustantimes.com
