Veeragallu at National Military Memorial to be inaugurated in Bengaluru | Bengaluru News
Bengaluru: After a 16-year wait and continuous delays, the 75-ft-high Veeragallu (hero stone) at the National Military Memorial in the central part of the city will be inaugurated Saturday as part of the 26th anniversary of Kargil Vijay Diwas. The 700-tonne stone was transported from the Koira quarry near Devanahalli to the National Military Memorial in 2019, but wasn’t formally unveiled for administrative reasons. Former Union minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar, who was behind the project, said: “This memorial stands as Karnataka and Bengaluru’s homage to the service and sacrifice of the bravehearts of our armed forces, and the pain and loss borne by their families.” Chandrasekhar also claimed Bengaluru could have had India’s first major post-Independence tribute to the armed forces, even before the National War Memorial in New Delhi, if the construction hadn’t remained stalled.The construction of the memorial was stuck in a controversy over its location, leading to the Supreme Court, despite the apex judicial body giving the green light back in 2010. Bangalore Development Authority, which took up construction, extended the deadline repeatedly, dragging it on for years.
