CM unveils statue in memory of language martyrs

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Friday instructed the Mayor of the Kolkata Municipal Corporation to take steps to beautify the monument in the memory of language at Deshopriya Park.

She gave the instruction after inaugurating a statue installed at Ekushe Udyan opposite Birla Planetarium in the memory of language martyrs on the eve of International Mother Tongue Day on Friday.

Banerjee didn’t give any speech at the programme considering that it may create problem for the Higher Secondary examinees. She spoke to the Mayor, senior government officials and sculptor Jogen Chowdhury, who gave shape to the statue which was inaugurated on Friday.

Mayor Sovan Chatterjee said that Friday’s programme has been organised in an open narrow space so it may lead to problems if she addressed the programme using the public addressing system. Thus she decided not to address the gathering. “But she asked us to take necessary steps to take necessary steps to beautify the monument at Deshopriya Park,” Chatterjee said.

It is learnt that Banerjee has also said that every year on Bhasa Divas a programme will be organised in morning in front of the statue in Ekushe Udyan to pay homage to the martyrs and in evening another event on the same occasion will take place in Deshopriya Park. She has also directed to invite the Deputy High Commission of Bangladesh in the programmes.

The14-feet high statue that has been installed on Friday has been brought up at a cost of Rs 15 lakh. “It took around 1 year time to give shape to the statue, which looks like it’s made completely of bronze,” said Chowdhury adding that he and his team faced certain problems while making the statue as there was no big studios in the city. “Finally a place has been selected in the outskirts of the city to build such a tall statue,” he said.