News
Govt. opts for trimmed Independence Day ceremony
View(s):By Chandani Kirinde
The National People’s Power-led government’s first Independence Day will be celebrated under the theme ’Towards a National Renaissance, with the cost being reduced this year to Rs. 80 million—Rs. 27 million less than the Rs. 107 million spent last year, according to Public Administration Minister A.H.M.H. Abayaratna.
President Anura Kumara Dissanayke’s address to the nation will be limited to eight minutes and will follow a guard of honour for the President by the three armed forces.
Briefing the media on the preparations for Independence Day, Defence Secretary Air Vice Marshal (Retd) Sampath Thuyacontha said there would be a 40 percent reduction in the number of military personnel participating in the event as compared to last year.
Accordingly, 725 personnel from the Army, 521 from the Navy, and 505 from the Air Force will take part in the parade, together with 108 police and the Special Task Force officers and 500 personnel from the Civil Defence Force and the National Cadet Corps.
Last year, a total of 4,258 Army, Navy and Air Force personnel participated in the parade. This year the number has been reduced to 1,751. 
There will also be a limited display of military ware with only three Sri Lanka Air Force aircraft participating, while there will be no armoured vehicles on display.
The traditional 25-gun salute to the nation by the Sri Lanka Navy will take place as in previous years.
Religious ceremonies to invoke blessings on the country will be held on Monday night as well as early Tuesday morning, covering all the main religions in the country.
Colombo Municipal Commissioner Palitha Nanayakkara will garland the statue of the country’s first Prime Minister, D.S. Senanayake, in the presence of Western Province Governor Hanif Yusuf, the D.S. Senanayake Commemoration Committee chairman and former speaker Karu Jayasuriya, and several other invitees, including family members.
A hive of activity at Independece Square as preparations are underway to mark the 77th Independence Day on Tuesday. Pix by Indika Handuwala and Eshan Fernando
‘Jaya mangala gatha’ and ‘Dewo wasatu kalena’ will be recited by 16 students selected from three girls schools in Colombo.
The national anthem will be sung in Sinhala at the start of the ceremony by 44 schoolchildren and in Tamil at the close of the ceremony, also by students.
There will be several cultural events to wind up the day’s celebrations.
Security has been tightened in Colombo ahead of the Independence Day celebrations, with around 1,650 police personnel, including those from the STF, deployed to ensure security until the conclusion of the main event at Independence Square.
A special traffic plan will be in place so as not to cause interruptions to general traffic flow and inconvenience the public, the police said.
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