Low-key Republic Day fete likely this year

Hyderabad: Where will the Republic Day celebrations be held this year? The State government is in a dilemma over the venue in view of the Covid-19 pandemic situation prevailing the State. According to sources, the government is examining the possibility of holding low key celebrations either at Public Gardens or inside the Raj Bhavan premises.

The government as of now is of the opinion that it should celebrate the occasion with just 50 to 100 guests and for that the Raj Bhavan would be the best choice. This will also help Governor Tamilisai Sounderarajan to be the chief guest.

The officials are likely to consult the Governor after she returns from her visit to Tamil Nadu. She had gone to Tamil Nadu to celebrate Pongal festival.

The brief ceremony at the Raj Bhavan will not have the customary parade or the display of tableaux and cultural programmes. This had become necessary as the health protocols were still in vogue, said a senior officer who is involved in the preparations for the Republic Day celebrations. The other option before the government is to hold the celebrations at Public Gardens.

If the Chief Minister decides to hold the celebrations at Public Gardens, officials said that adequate sanitation and safety measures will have to be taken up on a priority basis. In the meantime, all the District Collectors have been instructed to organise the celebrations without big gatherings and strictly follow Covid safety protocols.

It may be mentioned here that for the past two years, the Republic Day celebrations were being held at Public Gardens as the Union government turned down the State government's proposal to allot part of the defence land at Parade Grounds for the construction of Secretariat.