WW2 Museum To Be Built In North East Indian State

ITANAGAR, Aug 8 (Bernama) -- The tourism industry in north-east Indian Arunachal Pradesh state has received a shot in the arm with the Union Ministry of Culture sanctioning funds for construction of a museum in memory of those who laid down their lives in World War II at Nampong in Changlang district.

The Second World War Memorial Museum, which will be built adjacent to the historic Stilwell Road, is expected to boost tourist inflow from South East Asian countries, Press Trust of India reported.

"The museum, to be constructed with Rs 2.25 crore, will also be in honour of the Arunachalees who laid down their lives fighting under the British," Director of Research of Arunachal Pradesh government Tage Tada said.

Tada said that the fund had already been released and his department is undertaking the site selection job for the proposed museum.

He said the museum would not only preserve the remnants of the war, but also personal belongings of the soldiers and other persons involved.

The Stillwell road, near which the museum will be set up, is part of a tourist circuit where a World War II cemetery already exists near Jairampur, Hell Gate and the Iron Bridge, the last two being the living testimonies to the war.

The National Highway Authority (NHA) has been undertaking renovation and construction of the Stilwell Road up to Pangsau Pass, the last Indian post.

"We have asked the NHA to re-align the road near the Hell Gate and the Iron Bridge so that both structures could be preserved as historical evidences of the war," said Tada.

Nampong, where the museum is proposed to be built, is a town where unofficial trade between Myanmar and India is carried out.

Sourced: bernama