The government on Tuesday dedicated a memorial of Former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee to the nation on his 94th birth anniversary.
The memorial is located at a vacant piece of land which was made available by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs at Rashtriya Smriti Sthal, near Rajghat. The memorial was constructed by Centre Public Works Department (CPWD) in just five months at a cost of Rs. 10.51 crore which was borne by the Atal Smriti Nyas Society.
Atal Smriti Nyas Society was founded by Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan, Bihar Governor Lalji Tandon, Gujarat Governor OP Kohli, Karnataka Governor Vajubhai Rudabhai Vala, BJP leaders Vijay Kumar Malhotra and Ram Lal.
President Ram Nath Kovind, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and several other dignitaries were present at the inauguration.
The memorial named “Sadaiv Atal” is spread across 1.5 acres of land. It is enclosed by a nine bas-relief walls on which the poetry of Atal Bihari Vajpayee is inscribed. It has been reported that not even a single tree was cut down for the development of this memorial.
Atal Bihari Vajpayee passed away at AIIMS on August 16 after a prolonged illness. He was cremated with full state honors on August 17.
The memorial reflects Vajpayee’s personality as a poet, humanist, statesman, and a great leader of the nation