MAKWANPUR, Jan 31: Province 3 officials for the very first time observed the Martyrs' Day on Wednesday in memory of the soldiers who sacrificed their lives for peace and sovereignty of the country.

Locals gathered at the Martyrs Memorial Park in Hetauda-11 to pay tribute to the soldiers amid a special program. Speaking at the program, Chief Minister Dormani Paudel stated that the path shown by the martyrs is the only alternative to prosperous Nepal. 

"We are moving forward to create 'Prosperous Nepal, happy Nepalis'," said Chief Minister Paudel. 

Addressing the crowd, Chief Minister Paudel said people must acknowledge the contribution of martyrs in bringing democracy. Paudel who is also the chairperson of Martyrs Memorial Development Committee (MMDC) said he would rather quit the position of chief minister but not the committee as he is emotionally attached with it.

Similarly, Minister for Internal Affairs and Law Shalikram Jamkattel made people realize that it is the duty of the citizens to fulfill the dreams of the martyrs. 

"We must remember the martyrs if we are to talk about equality and social justice," said Jamkattel. Before paying tribute to the martyrs, a team of Nepal Army, Armed Police Force and Nepal Police offered salute to the martyrs.

In the memorial, the statues of 12 martyrs have been sculpted in one large stone, which weighs 25 tonnes. The faces of Bhakti Thapa, Dashrath Chand, Gangalal Shrestha, Dharmabhakta Mathema, Shukraraj Shastri, Bhimdatta Panta, Ratna Kumar Bantawa, Yagya Bahadur Thapa, Durgananda Jha, Birendra Rajbanshi, Muneshwari Yadav and Prabhakar Paudel have been sculpted in the stone which was found some 24 years ago.

President Bidya Devi Bhandari had inaugurated the memorial park which was constructed with a budget of Rs 15 million. 

 
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