Bangalore:
It has been three years since Major Sandeep Unnikrishnan lost his life fighting terrorists in Mumbai. However, the promises made by the Bruhat Bangalore Mahangara Palike (BBMP) to name a road and install his statue remain unfulfilled, still.
Byatrayanapura Corporator Indira had raised the issue in the Council meeting last year to install a statue of the late Major near Hebbal fly-over, as a tribute and a source of inspiration. Though this suggestion was accepted, former ruling party leader Katte Satyanarayana said that they had decided to rename a road after Sandeep Unnikrishnan.
However, since then, there has been no progress to name a road after one of its most eminent citizens.
Speaking to Express, Satyanarayana confirmed that though the decision to rename a road had been taken, there was no progress in the matter. "We had passed a resolution for renaming a road, but it was not decided which road," he said and added, "It is for the Corporators to suggest the name of the road and then they would be able to complete the formalities." But the initiator of the topic lamented the delay in the process as she said that "there was no response from the authorities on the suggestion."
So far only a three-and-a-half kilometre stretch on the Bangalore International Airport Road bears the name of Sandeep Unnikrishnan, but that was not initiated by the BBMP. The civic body's 'speak from the hat' moment is not restricted to just this case. Former Mayor S K Natraj had announced that a road would be named after Team India Captain M S Dhoni if they win World Cup. But there was no move to that effect later.