After nearly 50 years the Tripura government has undertaken a Rs 4.83 crore project to construct a war memorial on the city outskirts to commemorate the 1971 India-Pakistan war resulting in the creation of Bangladesh.

The work on the new war memorial at Lichubagan Park began around three months ago and is likely to be completed in another 9-10 months," Agartala Smart City Project (ASCP) Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Shailesh Kumar Yadav told IANS.

"The Army also had a small war memorial at Lichubagan, dedicated to the martyrs of the 1971 war. Lance Naik Albert Ekka was awarded Param Vir Chakra for the battle of Gangasagar (in Bangladesh along India's Tripura), which was a part of the 1971 war theatre. He saved Agartala from getting captured by Pakistani forces."

He said that it was a long-standing demand of Indian Army to construct a bigger war memorial by combining both of these war memorials. The Indian Army and Tripura Sainik Board raised this issue with Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb after the BJP-led government came to power in the state in 2018.

The war memorial project was taken up under the Smart City Mission. He said that to ease traffic congestion in the city, the historic tank and the artillery gun were shifted to the under-construction war memorial.

"The 1971 war comprised two major operations -- Operation Cactus Lily and Operation Nut Cracker -- and 57 Mountain Division was actively involved in both operations with firepower support from 57 Mountain Artillery Brigade," pointed out defence analyst Manas Paul.

"Both operations progressed from Agartala westwards towards Dhaka. The war finally culminated on December 16, 1971 with the unconditional surrender of 93,000 Pakistani soldiers. Lt Gen Jagjit Singh Aurora, Maj Gen Ian Cardozo, Lt Arun Khetrapal, Lance Naik Albert Ekka are a few of our war heroes," the analyst added.

Paul said: "The Indian Army, accompanied by the people of the then East Pakistan, fought the war most effectively, decisively and protected the sovereignty of both present-day Bangladesh and India."

(IANS)