Memorial to Covid warriors to be constructed on Delhi Assembly premises

PTI, Dec 5, 2021, 4:33 PM IST

New Delhi: The Delhi Assembly will construct a memorial to ‘corona warriors’ including doctors, nurses and paramedical staff, sanitation workers and teachers on its premises to honour their supreme sacrifice and remarkable work during the pandemic, Speaker Ram Niwas Goel said on Sunday.

Goel said the memorial will most likely be unveiled on January 26 next year.

Many doctors, nurses, sanitation workers and others had died due to COVID-19 in the line of duty. They have made the supreme sacrifice to save the mankind through the pandemic, the Delhi Assembly speaker said.

”So in their honour we will construct a corona warriors memorial in the Delhi Assembly. A stone inscription, having information about their duty and supreme sacrifice, will be erected. This is likely to be completed by January 26 next year,” Goel told PTI.

He said the stone inscription will also have a small structure where symbols or signs (stethoscope, broom, injection etc) related to Corona warriors will be carved.

”Signs of corona warriors such as injection, machine to check blood pressure, stethoscope, books, broom etc will be carved out on a small wall-type structure.

Designs of these have been prepared and the work on the project is going on. We are hoping to inaugurate the memorial on January 26 next year,” Goel said.

He said that the corona warrior memorial will be constructed behind the statue of Vithalbhai Patel on the Delhi Assembly premises near the entry gates.

The Speaker said the historic Delhi Assembly will be developed into a tourist spot where people will also be able to see a 25-minute film depicting the history of freedom fighters, the House and the city.

Goel also said that other tourism activities like showcasing the history of freedom fighters digitally on lines of Gandhi Darshan at the Rajghat will be developed.

”We are constructing a hall containing digital table showing the history of the country, the city and freedom fighters like Gandhi Ji, Bhagat Singh etc. These digital tables will be all touchscreens and visitors will be able to witness the glorious past of the city and country with just a touch,” Goel said.

The Delhi Assembly has a rich heritage as it was built in 1911 and was used as Central Legislative Assembly after the capital of the country was shifted to Delhi from Kolkata in 1912.

The building was emptied in 1926 as the Central Legislative Assembly was shifted to present day Lok Sabha building.

Later this Delhi Assembly building was converted into a court by Britishers.

A few years back, a British-era tunnel was also discovered beneath the central hall of the Delhi Assembly.

Under tourist friendly initiatives, Goel said, the tunnel and a British-era execution room will also be inaugurated in the Delhi Assembly by January 26.

”Nearly 70 per cent construction work of the British-era Fansi Ghar (the room which was used to hang revolutionaries) has been completed. We are hoping to open it by January 26,” Goel said.