The Dakshina Kannada district administration has proposed the establishment of a park in memory of the victims of 2010 Mangalore air crash.

Chairing a meeting in this regard in Mangaluru on Wednesday morning, AB Ibrahim, Deputy Commissioner of the district, said that earlier it was proposed to set up a park in the premises of Mangalore International Airport.

Then some people suggested that it would be apt to set up the park at Kuloor – the place where 22 unidentified bodies of the victims were cremated – near New Mangalore Port. The site, which is in the custody of New Mangalore Port Trust, is situated between Gurpur River and national highway.

Ibrahim said that it will be a park on 44 cents of land in memory of crash victims. There will not be any permanent structure on the site.

Harinath, who represented the New Mangalore Port Trust, suggested that the district administration send a representation to the port. The Union Shipping Ministry’s approval will be required to handover the land for any such purpose.

It may be mentioned here that Air India Express flight no. 812, which was coming from Dubai, overshot the runway on landing and fell over a cliff on May 22, 2010. Following this, the aircraft caught fire.

Of the 166 people in the flight, eight survived the crash. Of the 158 bodies that were recovered in the accident, 22 remained unidentified. These unidentified bodies were later cremated at Kuloor near New Mangalore Port.

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