The design for a memorial on the Delhi assembly's premises to pay tribute to doctors and other 'corona warriors' is ready and its dimension will be 8 ft long and 6 ft high, officials said.
The actual ground work to install the memorial, which will be built in metal, is expected to begin soon, they said.
"The design is ready and the front side of memorial will symbolically depict in relief artwork, various Covid warriors who have rendered yeoman service during the pandemic, and many of whom have also lost their lives in the line of duty," a senior official told PTI.
The artwork will portray a doctor in the centre, flanked by a nurse (heathcare worker), sanitation worker, teacher and police personnel, sources said.
"The memorial's structure will be 8 ft long and 6 ft high. It is planned to be installed near the statue of Vitthalbhai Patel in the assembly premises," the official said.
Another official said that the project will take at least five to six months in the making and added that the time-line was stretched due to the third wave of the Covid pandemic.
Delhi has gone through three major waves of the pandemic. The second was in April-May last year and it had wreaked havoc in the city as people scrambled to get beds for their family members who were infected, and doctors and other healthcare workers tried their best to save lives, inside and outside hospitals.
A large number of deaths were recorded during the 2021 wave, including of several doctors, nurses, police personnel, teachers and sanitation workers.
Over 28,000 cases and 277 deaths were recorded on April 20 last year, rising to 306 fatalities on April 22. On May 3, the city had registered a record 448 deaths, according to official data.
Covid outbreak in Delhi was reported early March 2020, during which a nationwide lockdown was also imposed to contain the spread of the infection.
The national capital's cumulative tally of cases increased to 18,65,101 as on April 1. The death toll stands at 26,153, according to Friday's health bulletin.
There has been a significant decline in the number of daily cases in the last few weeks.
Doctors and healthcare workers, globally, since the outbreak of the coronavirus have been in the forefront of the fight against the pandemic of the century, the worst since the Spanish Flu in 1918.
Their courage and selfless service earned them the moniker of 'corona warriors'.
While doctors and nurses and others endeavoured to save lives in wards, paramedical staff, police personnel, teachers and sanitation workers toiled in the streets, braving harsh summer and tough winter, collecting samples, ensuring compliance of lockdown to keep people safe, cleaning streets and collecting organic and medical waste to keep areas free of litter.
The memorial that will come up on the Delhi assembly's premises is a homage to these services rendered by these people who have found a place in the hearts of the country's citizens.
In early December 2021, Delhi assembly Speaker Ram Niwas Goel had said that a memorial to 'corona warriors' including doctors, nurses and paramedical staff, sanitation workers and teachers will be built on its premises to honour their supreme sacrifice and remarkable work during the pandemic.
