Clearances delay Mahatma Gandhi memorial at Indo-Bangla border

PETRAPOLE: For the past two year, attempts to emulate Wagah like retreat ceremony on the eastern border at Bangladesh has been caught in a fight between Centre and state government.

The beating retreat at Petrapole-Benapole border was started in 2013 by then union Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde and his then Bangladesh counterpart Dr Muhiuddin Khan Alamgir with a proposal to build a monument in the name of India's father of the nation, Mahatma Gandhi, viewer's gallery and parking area. It was supposed to be similar on the lines what Bangladesh did on their side by laying the images of their father of the nation, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.

The proposal to build the monument of Mahatma Gandhi was learnt to have been mooted between 2010-11 ahead of the ceremony but got delayed in want of permission from authorities to uproot a large trunk of `Bo' tree which falls in the middle of the border road.

Bangladesh started the construction on their side and completed it in early 2013. "We also agreed not to uproot the tree and instead trim its large branches to suit to a design," says a home ministry official. As per the international norms, both sides needs permissions and approvals from each other in form of `no objection' to carry out any construction within 150 metres of International boundary (IB).

The delay , according to officials at the Petrapole border, was also on the part of the Indian authorities with permissions still awaited from Central government including highway and forest authorities.