Work on Kalam's memorial at Rameswaram to begin on Sunday

Rameswaram: The work on the construction of a memorial for former president APJ Abdul Kalam is to commence on Sunday, coinciding with his 85th birth anniversary. A team of DRDO officials led by PK Singh arrived here on Saturday and visited the memorial site at Peikarumbu here where Kalam was laid to rest after his death in July 2015. [caption id=“attachment_2902540” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  File photo of APJ Abdul Kalam. PTI[/caption] They held discussions with local officials regarding various aspects of the memorial. Officials said a total of Rs 50 crore had been allocated for the memorial and a knowledge centre. In the first phase, Rs 15 crore would be spent for the construction of the memorial on a 27,000 sq ft area. It would cover the burial site and a statue of Kalam. The memorial would be ready for inauguration on 27 July next year when the former president’s second death anniversary falls. The construction of knowledge centre will be taken up in the second phase.