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Independence Day parade to march to the tune of lower cost, says official
Men wearing the trademark blue overalls are hammering nails and erecting tents while the RDA workers paint the pavements and sweep the
Preparations underway for Independence Day. Pix by Athula Devapriya
roads for the upcoming Independence Day celebrations on February 4 at Parliament Grounds in Sri Jayewardenepura Kotte.
Under the theme “Splendid Country- Glorious Tomorrow” the 67th Independence Day celebration is to be a toned down version compared with previous years.
Following instructions by President Maithripala Sirisena, the organisers of the Independence Day parade are taking steps to reduce expenses wherever possible, Home Affairs and Fisheries Ministry Secretary S.D.A Borelessa said.
Accordingly several changes were made to the initial plans proposed by the previous administration. The Independence Day procession which was to be held in Weeraketiya, Hambantota was moved to the commercial capital to reduce transport costs for the parade participants, he said.
“We want to have an elegant celebration without spending unnecessarily on the event,” Mr. Borelessa said.
The number of dancers and schoolchildren involved in cultural items has been cut down by about 170 while certain performances have been 
knocked off from the programme to trim the spending on costumes.
However, the parade squad sizes have been expanded so that 2569 more soldiers and defence personnel.This increase was possible due to the change of location, he added.
However an air show by the Air Force will not take place and only two army vehicles carrying the parade commandeers will be part of the procession.
A special inclusion at this year’s celebrations is the tri-lingual reading of a declaration. It aims to remind the country of the decades of racial tension and requests all generations to reconcile so that the “splendid country” could move towards a “glorious tomorrow”. This addition was made in line with LLRC recommendations to foster harmony whenever possible.
“It is also important that we don’t think of this year’s celebration from a political angle and celebrate Sri Lanka as an independent nation,” Mr. Borelessa said.
Though 2500 special invitees are expected to attend the ceremony, no invitation has been extended to former President Mahinda Rajapaksa. The organisers are also expecting about 15 000 civilians to attend the ceremony.
“The infrastructure budget given to us by the ministry this year is roughly ten million. It is less than what was paid to us last year,” a supervisor of the event said.
The parade will go around Parliament grounds so that the people assembled can get a clear view of it. In addition the pageant would also be projected live on LED screens set up around the grounds.
In keeping with religious traditions at 6.30 a.m. on February 4, prominent places of worship in Colombo will hold religious services. Keeping with tradition, the D.S. Senanayake statue at Independence Square will be decked with flowers to commemorate the first Prime Minister of Sri Lanka after which the Independence Day celebration would begin at Parliament grounds.
According to the special traffic arrangements made the police, roads leading to Parliament, the Japan Sri Lanka Friendship Road, the Parliament Road and the road from Polduwa junction will be closed. Traffic would be directed via Battaramulla,” Police Spokesman SSP Ajith Rohana said.