JOIN USDelhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC) has decided to start construction of a memorial to remember 1984 anti-Sikh riot victims in Rakab Ganj Gurdwara without allegedly getting NDMC clearance.
Ravinder Singh, Senior Vice-President, DSGMC, said the construction will begin on Saturday – which is the 30th anniversary of the riot. Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal and his son Sukhbir Singh Badal are scheduled to attend the event.
The foundation stone of the memorial was laid in June, 2013. BJP leaders Rajnath Singh and Arun Jaitley were present there. “The memorial will serve as an assembling point of families who lost their relatives in the carnage. A wall and a fountain will also be constructed,” said Singh.
“When the foundation stone was laid last year, the NDMC issued a notice. DSGMC replied to the letter saying that it doesn’t want to construct a building but only create a space where we can pay homage,” said Singh.
He admitted that the memorial is yet to get a legal status from the NDMC that denied permission for construction during the tenure of former chief minister Sheila Dikshit.
“Even during the stone laying ceremony, the NDMC had red-flagged the construction,” said Singh.
“The Union Urban Development Ministry, Delhi Development Authority and the NDMC have the authority to sanction the construction proposal. DSGMC believes that no authority should have any problem if we want to construct a memorial,” he added.
With one day to go before the construction begins, the DSGMC is hopeful that a solution will be worked out.