Getting a memorial: War tank reaches 'Sunny Side'

The work on converting Sunny Side, the abode of late General K S Thimayya in Madikeri into a memorial has been re-started.

The state government, through the Department of Kannada and Culture, released Rs 2.30 crore for the purpose last week. The memorial is expected to be ready within a few months.

At the same time, a war tank, a long-pending demand, has finally arrived at the 'Sunny Side'.

Demand for tank

Owing to shortage of fund, the work on converting 'Sunny Side' into a memorial could not be taken up. Ex-servicemen have been demanding that a war tank be kept in the museum of 'Sunny Side'. When the Indian Army Chief General Bipin Rawat visited Kodagu to unveil the statues of Field Marshal K M Cariappa and General K S Thimayya on Kaveri College premises in Gonikoppa recently, the ex-servicemen's association had appealed for the same. The war tank has arrived at Madikeri from Army Training Centre in Pune.

The battle tank "Himath" was used during the India-Pakistan war in 1971. After the completion of the memorial, the war tank will be open for public viewing.

The Nirmiti Kendra has taken up the work on the memorial but will retain the old structure of the house. It is proposed to keep a model of a fighter plane too, and items used by Gen Thimayya while serving the Army, along with war tank, in the memorial.

Funds for memorial

The state government had announced the conversion of the house into a memorial in its budget. Accordingly, the district administration had prepared an estimate for Rs 5.5 crore.

In 2013-14, the government had released Rs 45 lakh. When the state government claimed that it cannot release such a huge amount, the district administration had revised the estimate to Rs 3.70 crore. The state government has so far released Rs 1.45 crore. With the recent release of Rs 2.30 crore, the work is likely to be completed at the earliest, said the Nirmiti Kendra officials.