Republic Day spirit envelops Hyderabad city

The nation celebrates the 65th Republic Day today. This day is heartily enjoyed by children as many schools indulge in sporting and cultural activities. But more than that, the Republic Day is much awaited for the majestic parade which makes every Indian proud. The true spirit of independent India comes alive on this day when India became a Democratic Republic with its own Constitution. The feeling of patriotism and pride of being an Indian fills the hearts of people all over the country. The city has a multitude of activities lined up for the grand event.

Hyderabad is ready for a colourful celebration on the Republic Day. Practice for the parade at Gymkhana Ground is being held day and night, for the past four days, to make the event flawless.

Colourful tableaux of different districts is a fascinating part of the parade. The impressively uniformed parade of the military is one show which should not be missed. But the best moment is when the tricolour national flag is hoisted and the national anthem is respectfully sung in chorus.

Every year for the parade, choona(slaked lime) is laid out as tracks where the ceremony would be undertaken. This time around, red mud has replaced choona which has been laid on the tracks and levelled by a roller.

What would the parade be like?

Mounted Police, APSP, SAR CPL, Armed Reserved Police, CRPF, RAF, CISF, RPF, Hyderabad Traffic, Cyberabad Police and Hyderabad Police, would march and exhibit a parade. Para-military force, AOC, MCEME and other army corps, would showcase a parade and would host various mock drills like para-gliding, dare-devil’s stunt-show. The Indian Air Force (IAF) would also host few events like march past and demos. All head honchos of cops would be present, including Prasada Rao, DGP; CV Anand, Commissioner, Cyberabad; Anurag Sharma, Commissioner, Hyderabad and Amit Garg, Additional Commissioner, Traffic.

What is new this time?

Tanks, radar machines, etc, would be part of the parade and would be put up for showcase. Three Bofors Guns would also be paraded.

Security arrangements at the Parade Grounds

Passing by the Parade Grounds has never been a more 'illuminating' experience for the city who have been surprised over the last couple of days, with floodlights beaming brightly over the vast ground throughout the night. Given the complete silence on the ground with no hint of activity, commuters wondered if the authorities forgot to turn off the lights. As it turns out, Parade Grounds would be lit all night till January 26 to keep troublemakers at bay.

With the preparations for the Republic Day parade on in full swing, the authorities are leaving no stone unturned to maintain high security at the Parade Grounds, to keep the ground illuminated all through the night to ensure there are no trespassers on this ground.

Ram Kumar, an official with the electrical wing of the Roads and Buildings Department, AP, said, "Approximately 260 kilowatts of electricity is being used by these lights. Apart from the supply, we also have two generators there." The cost of electricity consumption for the illumination of the grounds adds up to more than Rs 1 lakh.

The lights are being kept on all night to keep drunkards and certain anti-social elements away, say police officials. A cop said, “We usually get cases of people breaking into Parade Grounds and consuming alcohol there. However, the main problem is certain anti-social elements behind the ground. They take advantage of the poorly-maintained gates of the Parade Grounds and the badly lit area. We cannot afford to allow any illegal activities at the venue. Hence, the security guards stationed there leave the lights on all night as it helps them to keep an eye on all the corners of the vast ground."

The senior cop also added that without all the lights on, it is difficult for the guards to ensure no one enters the grounds at night.

Heavy security at the RGIA

As part of security measures on Republic Day, an alert has been issued at Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (RGIA) with restrictions on entry of visitors inside the terminal at the airport.

"The entry of visitors inside the terminal would be stopped and double screening of airline officials would be done till January 31," a release said.

Celebrations at the GHMC

Mayor Majid Hussain and Somesh Kumar, Commissioner, GHMC, would hoist a flag at the GHMC main building, Hill Fort Road, Lower Tank Bund. Apart from these, they would be indulging themselves in a social activity and would be donating 5 wheel chairs and 100 walking sticks to senior citizens. Rs 80.9 crore would be granted to 3,902 women self-help groups as bank linkage and Rs 4.7 crore to 6,959 SHGs (under the Vaddi Leni Runalu scheme).