UNIFIL Indian Battalion completed rehabilitation and renovation of a public park in Ebel el Saqi, in south-eastern Lebanon, and handed over to the municipality last week.

The park – named after Indian freedom fighter and a renowned proponent of non-violence Mahatma Gandhi and initially built by UNIFIL Indian peacekeepers in 1999 – underwent major renovation and infrastructural development since January 2020.

The infrastructural development project, which includes lighting, sheds and new sitting arrangements, was initiated to preserve the park as an exemplary environmental asset for the local communities.

At a ceremony held in the park on 10 June, Indian Ambassador to Lebanon Dr. Suhel Ajaz Khan, UNIFIL Sector East Commander Brigadier General Marcos Llago Navarro and Indian Battalion Commander Colonel Narayan Singh Bhati handed over the newly designed park to the Mayor of Ebel el Saqi, Samih Al Bekai.  

While appreciating the role of UNIFIL peacekeepers, the Mayor said the initiative undertaken by the Indian Battalion to maintain and rehabilitate the park is a proof “to make our model village symbol of peace and non-violence” to the succeeding generations in south Lebanon.

The Mahatma Gandhi Park epitomizes key principles of Mahatma Gandhi such as truth, peace, non-violence and self-discipline.

The latest UNIFIL support to the host communities is the continuation of similar efforts by the Mission and its peacekeepers in different areas in south Lebanon.

All the preventive measures related to COVID-19 virus spread were followed during the 10 June ceremony.

Photos: Corporal Gautam Singh / UNIFIL