Ahmedabad's Kargil War memory lives on as a fuel station becomes a landmark
Originally from Shahpur village in Junagadh district in Gujarat's Saurashtra region, Rathod was the third of four brothers; Paresh and Shailesh being his elder ones and Dinesh the youngest. The family has settled in Ahmedabad.
Speaking to The Indian Express, Dinesh said that earlier his family used to stay in the Meghaninagar area of Ahmedabad, which was close to the cantonment area. 'After clearing Class 12, Mukesh started preparing for recruitment in the armed forces. After failing three times, he cleared the exam on his fourth attempt. He joined the 12 Mahar Regiment, and before the final posting in Jammu and Kashmir, he was posted in Madhya Pradesh, Assam, and Punjab.'
According to Dinesh, Rathod's body was found 22 days after he went missing in Jammu and Kashmir. And then Ahmedabad MP Harin Pathak helped the family in tracing his body and bringing it back. When Rathod was killed, his wife Rajeshriben was pregnant with Mrugesh.
'His body was cremated in Srinagar as it was not in a condition to be transported to Ahmedabad. And later his ashes were brought to Ahmedabad by senior BJP leader and Gandhinagar MP L K Advani and an Army officer, Colonel Ranjit Singh,' said his elder brother Shailesh.
Dinesh said, 'Initially, we were not ready to take the petrol pump offered by the government. But Harin Pathak and local BJP leaders from Naroda convinced us to accept it. And eventually, the pump was allotted to us by Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited in 2000.'
Pathak, who is also a former Union minister, said, 'At that time, I received a postcard from Mukesh's mother (Samjuben) that her son had gone missing in the war and there was no trace of him. I immediately visited the family and then also met the officials of the defence ministry and some generals of the Army over the issue.'
'I convinced them to accept it while telling them that the Government was not doing any favour to them by allocating the fuel station,' Pathak told The Indian Express.
Land allotted by Gujarat Government
Recollecting those days, Dinesh said that the plot of land for the fuel station had been allotted by the Gujarat Government on a 30-year lease at the current location where it is situated.
'The land for the plot was allotted by then Ahmedabad collector K Srinivas. I assume that the collector knew this plot of land was going to be a prime location, and therefore, he suggested it for the pump. And eventually, we started the pump in 2001. We had zero knowledge of running a fuel station. And the officials of BPCL had trained us for a few weeks on how to run it and issues to be careful about,' Dinesh said.
'Today, our fuel station is a landmark reference point. Although it is next to the Gujarat High Court, most rickshaw and cab drivers cite the Kargil Petrol Pump as a reference point. It is that popular,' he said.
According to Dinesh, the Kargil War was mentioned in all formal events back in the day. So when BPCL officials asked the family to find a name for the pump, they decided to name it after the 1999 India-Pakistan war.
According to Dinesh, since the family did not have any experience running a fuel station, it was decided to ensure that one member is present at the pump 24X7.
Today, Mukesh's three brothers, his son Mrugesh, and nephews are running the fuel station. The family lives in the Bodakdev area of Ahmedabad, not very far from the pump, so that it can be managed effectively.
The area that was considered to be on Ahmedabad's outskirts is now among the busiest parts of the city, with the Kargil Petrol Pump becoming a popular landmark.
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