Do not shut Kalam memorial on Mondays: DRDO

The officials also did away with the one-hour lunch break at the memorial. It has also been directed that if the memorial opens at 9 am it should not be closed in-between. Following the instructions from Chennai, the board which was placed on Monday about the new instructions was removed.

On Monday, when a large number of tourists visited the memorial they were disappointed at the announcement that all Mondays would be closed for maintenance works. Also a new board was put up outside the memorial about the timings that visitors would be allowed only from 9 am to 1 pm and after a break of one hour from 2 pm to 5 pm.

However, higher officials attached to DRDO in Chennai clearly refuted giving any instruction to officials at Rameswaram. They said that there had been no communication to them to declare Monday as holidays for maintenance or change the timings. Sources at Rameswaram said that the officials of DRDO in Chennai had strictly and clearly instructed the officials at the Kalam memorial to change their plan and not to make Monday as holidays or declare a lunch break. 

Kalam National memorial was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on July 27, coinciding with the second death anniversary of former President APJ Kalam at Peikarumbu, the place where he was buried. Following the inauguration, Kalam memorial became a hot spot for tourists and it is being visited by thousands of people daily.