Around 4,000 spectators are expected to attend the Republic Day parade in Delhi on January 26 this year, while the Beating the Retreat celebrations saw hundreds of drones floating in the sky for the first time in three days apart from a special laser. The show, News18.com has learned.
Highly placed government sources said that in view of the rising number of COVID cases across the country, only a select few will attend the ceremony. The distance and route covered by various marching contingents will remain the same as last year.
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“This year the parade will have around 4,000 spectators,” said a top government official. He said that all standard COVID protocols would be followed during the event, such as adequate social distancing among people present at the venue, thorough sanitisation of the premises, thermal screening at entry points, use of masks, sanitizers and gloves. Availability as well as setting up of isolation and booth at the venue for emergencies.
Before the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic, the Republic Day parade saw anywhere between 1.15 lakh to 1.25 lakh spectators. An important national event, the ceremony is a symbol of India’s cultural diversity and military might.
covid effect
January 26, 2020, a few months before the pandemic hit India, 1.15 lakh viewers. Last year it was restricted to only 25,000 spectators due to the pandemic. Sources said the decision to further reduce the number was taken in view of the rapid increase in the number of Covid-19 cases this month.
A second government official told News18.com that allaying apprehensions that several roads dug in the Central Secretariat area could lead to the parade, another government official told News18.com that the marching party was on Rajpath at Vijay Chowk. and will begin the National Parade. Will go to the stadium. ,
The Republic Day parade in 2021 had also covered the same path and distance. However, in the years before that, the parade usually started from Vijay Chowk and ended at the Red Fort. There is a gap of about five kilometers between the National Stadium and the Red Fort.
The sources cited above also told that the selected 21 tableaux can go from Vijay Chowk to the Red Fort.
Out of the six marching contingents of the Army that will participate in the Army Day Parade on January 15, five will participate in the Republic Day Parade. The force will also display the same equipment and uniforms on the theme ‘Development of the Indian Army’ over the last 75 years as it did on Army Day this year.
The Indian Air Force said on Monday that this year’s Republic Day flypast at Rajpath will be the biggest and grandest. 75 aircraft of the Indian Air Force, Navy and Army, including Rafale, Sukhoi-30S, Jaguar, C-130J special operations aircraft, MiG-29K and P-8I maritime surveillance aircraft, will fly to mark 75 years of India’s independence.
A vintage Dakota aircraft and two Dornier aircraft will also fly over the Tangail Formation to commemorate the historic Tangail Airdrop – a major aerial operation by India in the 1971 war between India and Pakistan.
The IAF also had a marching contingent and a parade displaying the 1971 war fighters MiG-21 and Gnat fighter jets, Rafale fighter jets, indigenous Light Combat Helicopters (LCH), Aslesha 3D surveillance radar and G-SAT7 communication satellites. There will also be a show. ,
For the spectacle of the Beating the Retreat ceremony
For the first time ever, a unique show featuring hundreds of “eyes in the sky” is being held at Beating the Retreat on January 29.
While the number of drones participating in the event was not immediately known, sources say the number could be around 800.
Additionally, a laser show is also planned during the ceremony showcasing important events in military history.
Sources said the two special events will increase the total length of the ceremony by about 15 minutes.
There are also plans for an Indian musical composition, which could be the closing tune of the festival, he said.
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