Ludhiana: Red tape and sluggish demolition work have derailed plans to provide direct access to the ancestral home of Indian freedom fighter Sukhdev Thapar ahead of the March 23 martyrdom anniversary.The Shaheed Sukhdev Thapar Memorial Trust expressed “deep dissatisfaction” this week, accusing the Ludhiana municipal corporation (MC) of a lackadaisical approach toward the site’s preservation. While authorities have begun dismantling a recently acquired 44.5-sqyd building to clear a path, officials admit the manual process will take over a month.Trust members have now taken matters into their own hands, privately negotiating the purchase of a second 20-square-yard property that remains an obstacle. This unusual move sees private citizens performing the administrative duties of the state, navigating complex property registrations that the govt has failed to streamline.“We have been knocking on every door for three years,” said Ashok Thapar, national president of the trust. “We demanded direct access by March 23, but with the building still standing, we have lost hope. We now look toward May 15, the martyr’s birth anniversary.”Senior deputy mayor Rakesh Prashar defended the timeline, noting that heavy machinery cannot be used because the surrounding historical structures are too fragile. Beyond the access route, the trust is calling for the restoration of the memorial’s internal infrastructure, which has fallen into disrepair, and the eviction of occupants currently residing on the building’s upper floors.Tanking the tributeThe bureaucratic gridlock extends to other military landmarks. A planned ₹14.56 lakh relocation of Major Bhupinder Singh’s statue and tank from Rose Garden to Bharat Nagar Chowk remains stalled. Despite tenders being floated months ago, no work has commenced on the ground. Concerns are now mounting over the transparency of the project, with local activists raising question marks over the inflated cost of the proposed concrete platform. The delay leaves the memorial of a national hero in a state of undignified limbo, reflecting a broader pattern of administrative apathy toward Ludhiana’s historical heritage. MSID:: 129719060 413 |
