Itanagar (The Hawk): On the 60th anniversary of the 1962 Indo-China War, Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu and the Army's Eastern Command Chief Lt Gen R.P. Kalita dedicated the restored War Memorial in the scenic village of Tawang to the country on Monday.
The 1962 War Martyrs are remembered at the War Memorial.
Khandu declared in homage to the martyrs, "1962 was history, and it would never be repeated."
"In 1962, the situation was completely different. The region's infrastructure was in terrible shape. In spite of this, the Indian Army fought valiantly and gave hundreds of its soldiers' lives to defend the homeland. However, we are no longer what we were in 1962 "added he.
Khandu also attributed the improvement in infrastructure in Arunachal Pradesh and the other northeastern states to the Central government, which took office under Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2014.
"Unprecedented infrastructural growth has been seen in the region during the past eight years, especially near the borders. In addition to helping the civilian population, it has significantly improved the presence and logistics of the Indian Army "said he.
In addition, Khandu stated that highways would be constructed from the west to the east of Arunachal in the upcoming years.
According to him, "The Union Ministry for Road Transport and Highways has sanctioned road projects worth Rs 1.65 lakh crore for the northeast, with Arunachal Pradesh receiving Rs 44,000 crore, the biggest amount among the northeastern states."
According to Khandu, the Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways will build a two-lane, 1,465 km frontier highway at an estimated cost of Rs 27,349 crore, which will alter the situation of road connection along the borders from the far east of Arunachal to the west.
"The morale of our soldiers is really high as a result of seeing how much the federal and state administrations care about the wellbeing of the soldiers stationed at border outposts. The same is true for our citizens who live in border regions. Together with the Indian Army, they are prepared to take on any hostile force "said Khandu.
Along with reopening the Light and Sound theme park, Khandu also dedicated the newly built "Veer-Aangan" or courtyard of bravehearts, which is located next to the War Memorial and has busts of courageous soldiers who lost their lives during the Sino-Indian War.
The Army honoured a number of local war veterans from 1962 to commemorate the occasion.
(Inputs from Agencies)
