Rezaul Karim, chief engineer and the project director of the Museum said that the construction is complete.

"It is up to the ministry to organise the memorabilia in the museum and formally inaugurate it," he said.

The museum has been constructed as an under ground structure, under the Swadhi-nata Stambha, and is a part of the Swadhinata Complex at the Suhrawardy Uddayan.

The construction of the Swadhinata Stambha (Independence Monument) too will be completed by June this year said the Ministry sources.

Mahmudul Haque, Director General of the National Museum, also a member of the committee formed for the project of Government Liberation War Museum, said: "The memorabilia and other exhibits of the Liberation War will be displayed in the building within two to three months."

"We will exhibit some items from our museum and also the Liberation War Museum in Shegun Bagicha. Unfortuna-tely we may have to make some replica or duplicated structures of some of these memorabilia, because we may not have sufficient items for display,' he added.

"During the reign of the previous government, where this Swadhinata Complex project was planned, the budget was Tk 81 crore 27 lakh, which was later increased to Tk 171 crore. But the present government allocated only Tk 76 crore three lakh for the entire complex. The total area of the complex, having eight components within its premises, is 20 acres whereas the area allocated for the museum is 31,878 square feet," said Karim. However, he could not say why the budget was decreased.

Dr. Sarwar Ali, Trustee and Member Secretary, of the privately owned Liberation War Museum, the lone such museum at the country now, said, "During the tenure of the Awami League, Finance Minister Late AMS Kirbia took an initiative to put up a museum dedicated only to the freedom fighters of the country. But with the change of government, we have not heard much about the project's progress."

Mehzabeen Khan, a resident of Dhanmondi, said, "The initiative of the government could be exalted if the museum would be inaugurated soon."

"It is only the government that can do things on a large scale as people involved in the present Liberation War Museum, have limited access in terms of money, space and scope to make a large museum dedicated to the country's heroes -- the martyrs and the freedom fighters."