Utter neglect laying to waste war memorial in Rewari

Gurugram: The nation on Sunday celebrated the 56th anniversary of Rezang La battle, a prominent tale that is testament to the courage and bravery of the Indian Army.

On November 18, 1962, a little over 120 Indian soldiers fought till death against the numerically superior Chinese army at the Rezang La mountain bypass, which is situated at an altitude of 17,000 feet and is around 30 km south of the Chusul valley in Ladakh.

Over 1,200 Chinese soldiers were reportedly vanquished by the Indian bravehearts and as many as 114 soldiers of the Ahir community were part of the Indian contingent.

To honour these Ahir heroes, Gurugram's neighbouring city Rewari inaugurated the Rezang La pass war memorial in 2012, which is spread over an area of 7,000 square feet.

Six years later, however, poor upkeep has resulted in the memorial site falling victim to vandalism and neglect.

There are complaints of numerous liquor vending units that have sprouted at the spot. This has led to a rise in rogue elements, who indulge in vandalism in and around the area.

Last year, a group of drunkards had brazenly broken parts of the war memorial. Locals, however, claim that such incidents are nothing new and have occurred frequently.

Poor connectivity to the memorial is another concern raised by the residents. The situation is exacerbated with a fleet of heavy vehicles being parked illegally in the area.

"Public agencies must ensure upkeep of the area and the war memorial site should be maintained. It is only when people will come to the spot in large numbers and know the sacrifice of the real heroes that they will be inspired. It is unfortunate, but today most of the people don't even know that there is a war memorial near Gurugram," said Ramesh Yadav, a local resident.