PUNE: The Pune Cantonment Board (PCB) will send a proposal to the seven-member expert committee set up by the ministry of defence (MoD) asking it to consider eight buildings as heritage structures.The Maratha War Memorial at the junction of Coyaji road has also been included in the list. “The committee has told us to send a list of heritage structures and we will do so this week,”PCB chief executive officer DN Yadav told TOI on Tuesday.The memorial, spread across about 5,000 sq ft, was constructed in memory of soldiers from Maharashtra, who lost their lives fighting for the British Indian Army during World War I . However, the sanctity of the memorial is not maintained as people often park their vehicles around it. Moreover, since there is no board outside the memorial, passers-by remain unaware about the importance of the place.Sukhdev Patil, head of PCB’s engineering department, said, “Last year, the board had spent about Rs10 lakh on the beautification and fencing of the memorial.”“The old structures need to be preserved in a better manner. With the absence of adequate budget, it would be difficult for the cantonment board to maintain the place and preserve its historic value. As a result, it is crucial that the designated agency Archeological Survey of India (ASI) take over its upkeep,” said a senior defence estates official.Lt Gen DB Shekatkar (retd), who commanded the 6th Battalion of the Maratha Light Infantry , said, “Ideally, the Maharashtra government should convert this place into a heritage structure since all the soldiers were Maharashtrian. The current generation is not aware about our soldiers’ supreme sacrifice and contribution to the war. This place could become a source of inspiration for the present generation.”

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