Maharashtra govt hands over Rs 3 crore to army for museum at Trishul war memorial in Ladakh

File Photo/PTI

Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Wednesday handed over Rs 3 crore to army for building a war museum at the Trishul war memorial in Ladakh.

Deputy chief ministers Devendra Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar were present when Shinde handed over the cheque to Lt General H S Kahlon, General Officer Commanding (GOC) of Maharashtra Gujarat & Goa Area at Mumbai, on the occasion of Kargil Vijay Diwas, an official said.

The war museum along with an auditorium will come up next to the Trishul war memorial, in the shape of Trishul, symbol of the 3rd Infantry Division (Trishul Division) established in Ladakh in October 1962, the official said.

In July last year, two women from Maharashtra, advocate Meenal Wagh Bhosale and Sarika Malhotra were in Srinagar and Leh areas and visited Trishul war memorial which has many war artefacts on the rich history and saga of valour of Indian Army in the inhospitable terrain.

The two women then discussed a plan to improve the facilities there so that it can serve as an inspiration to future generations. They discussed the funding part with BJP MLC Shrikant Bhartiya, who later visited the memorial, the official said.

After returning to Mumbai, he took up the need to improve the facilities at the memorial with Shinde and Fadnavis, who agreed to bring the project under Maharashtra Government's wings, the official said.

Maharashtra thus became the first state to undertake such a project for the Army and help improve tourism in the border region.

Meenal Wagh Bhosale then approached Lt Gen Rajendra Nimbhorkar (Retd), who helped at the Ministry of Defence level, while Bhartiya followed it up with Maharashtra government.

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This monument will make every tourist from Maharashtra who visits Leh, proud of his state's contribution for the national cause, the official said.

Meanwhile, all three service chiefs paid homage to the fallen soldiers on the 24th anniversary of the Kargil Vijay Diwas on Tuesday, with Army Chief Gen Manoj Pande saying that the nation achieved the "historic victory" due to the "indomitable courage" of the bravehearts.

It was on July 26, 1999 that the Indian Army had announced the successful culmination of "Operation Vijay", declaring victory over Pakistan after a nearly three-month-long battle at the icy heights of Kargil, including locations such as Tololing and Tiger Hill.

"Kargil Vijay Diwas exemplifies the valour, glory and strong determination of the Indian Army. On this glorious occasion, we remember all our bravehearts, due to whose indomitable courage we achieved this historic victory. The Indian Army is committed to protect the honour and sovereignty of the country. Jai Hind," he wrote in a Hindi message shared on Twitter early morning.

Chief of Defence Staff Gen Anil Chauhan, Army Chief Gen Pande, along with IAF Chief Air Chief Marshal V R Chaudhari and Navy Chief Admiral R Hari Kumar, paid homage to the martyrs and bravehearts of the Kargil War at the Kargil War Memorial, Drass in Ladakh.

"On the occasion of #KargilVijayDiwas 2023, General Anil Chauhan #CDS, General Manoj Pande #COAS, Admiral R Hari Kumar #CNS & Air Chief Marshal VR Chaudhari #CAS laid wreaths and paid homage to the #Bravehearts of #KargilWar at the #KargilWarMemorial, #Dras. CDS and three service chiefs expressed everlasting gratitude towards the selfless sacrifice of the valiant & courageous #Bravehearts of #KargilWar during the solemn occasion. #IndianArmy #Kargil," the army tweeted and shared some pictures.

The Army also shared images of Defence Minister Rajanth Singh laying a wreath and paying tributes to soldiers at the solemn memorial in Drass, as the Indian tricolour proudly fluttered in the gentle breeze across the rugged mountains of Ladakh.

"On the occasion of #KargilVijayDiwas 2023, Raksha Mantri Shri @rajnathsingh laid a wreath at the #KargilWarMemorial in #Dras and paid homage to the valiant soldiers who displayed unparalleled bravery during 'Operation Vijay'. Brig (Dr) BD Mishra (Retd), @lg_ladakh also paid tributes to #Bravehearts on the solemn occasion," the Army said in another tweet.

Addressing a gathering at the memorial in Drass, Singh said India is ready to cross the Line of Control (LoC) to maintain its honour and dignity, and called upon civilians to be ready to support the soldiers in such a situation.

The Army has also been putting up posts on its social media handles in the last few days to mark the 24th anniversary of the occasion.

#KargilVijayDiwas 'Our hard-earned victory is a testimony to the synergy achieved between the Armed Forces and our Awam which is only set to increase in the days ahead.' - Jai Hind! General Manoj Pande, COAS #IndianArmy," the Army tweeted on Wednesday.

In another tweet, the Army also shared a small tribute video clip.

"#KargilVijayDiwas is a reminiscence of the undaunted bravery & courage of the #Bravehearts who inscribed a golden chapter in history, with their blood & sacrifice. They gave a befitting reply to the enemy's misadventure and a resounding victory to this #Nation. #OperationVijay #IndianArmy," it wrote.

In Delhi, Minister of State for Defence Ajay Bhatt laid a wreath and paid homage to the bravehearts at the National War Memorial.

Vice chiefs of the three services also joined the nation in paying tributes to the brave soldiers.

"#KargilVijayDiwas 2023 On the occasion of 24th Kargil Vijay Diwas, Lt Gen MV Suchindra Kumar #VCOAS, Vice Admiral Sanjay Jasjit Singh #VCNS, Air Marshal AP Singh #VCAS & Lt Gen JP Mathew #CISC laid wreaths at the National War Memorial #NWM and paid homage to the #Bravehearts of the #KargilWar. #IndianArmy #OperationVijay #Kargil," the Army said in another tweet.

The Indian Army had launched a fierce counter-assault, "Operation Vijay", to push back Pakistani forces that had stealthily occupied important heights in Ladakh in 1999.

The war saw Indian armed forces fight in the most challenging terrains amid harsh weather conditions in Drass, Kargil and Batalik sectors.

The Navy also tweeted and paid homage to Kargil heroes: "#KargilVijayDiwas2023 Adm R Hari Kumar #CNS and all personnel of #IndianNavy salute the extraordinary courage of our #bravehearts which led to this Historic Victory. Their valour, dedication, patriotism & selfless sacrifice will continue to inspire generations to come. Jai Hind!".

Meanwhile, former Army chief Gen (retd) M M Naravane donated a cheque of Rs 1 lakh towards the Army Central Welfare Fund, on the anniversary of the historic victory.

"On the occasion of #KargilVijayDiwas 2023, former #COAS General MM Naravane (Retd), donated a cheque of ? 1 Lakh towards the Army Central Welfare Fund, exemplifying the spirit of camaraderie & brotherhood towards the #Bravehearts of #KargilWar. #IndianArmy," the Army tweeted and also shared a tweet by Gen Naravane (retd).

"Presented a cheque of Rs 1,00,000 to Lt Gen C Bansi Ponnappa, Adjutant General on the occasion of Kargil Vijay Diwas to the Army Central Welfare Fund. Let us all take a moment to reflect on the valour of our brave soldiers who made the supreme sacrifice for the Nation. Jai Hind," the former Army chief tweeted earlier in the day. (Agencies)