Visakhapatnam city comes alive with Independence Day celebrations

Visakhapatnam: Hoisting of the national flag, speeches, khadi exhibition and cultural programmes marked the 75th Independence Day celebrations here on Sunday.

Several organisations and institutions reverberated with patriotic songs and music on the occasion. The Visakhapatnam District police presented merit certificates to the officers, men and ministerial staff on the occasion.

The State government has been implementing several welfare schemes to the needy people, said District in-charge Minister Kurasala Kannababu. After hoisting the national flag at the 75th Independence Day celebrations held at the Police Barracks grounds, the Minister received the police salute.

Speaking on the occasion, the Minister briefed on the welfare schemes being implemented by the government. The Minister, District Collector A Mallikarjuna, city Commissioner of Police Manish Kumar Sinha and others felicitated community worker Dr Kutikuppala Surya Rao for receiving the Padma Shri Award.

Later, certificates of appreciation were presented to the district officials, government employees and staff who rendered the best services.

Tourism Minister M Srinivasa Rao, MPs B Satyavathi and MVV Satyanarayana and MLAs participated in the programme.

Meanwhile, NREDCAP (New and Renewable Energy Development Corporation of Andhra Pradesh) chairman KK Raju hoisted the flag at the YSRCP office in the north constituency. He said the ruling party is for the poor. VKPCPIR chairperson Chokkakula Lakshmi, Deputy Mayor K Satish, Chokkakula Venkata Rao, 14th ward corporator K Anil Kumar Raju, and deputy floor leader A Sankar Rao, among others took part.

Waltair division: At Waltair division, Divisional Railway Manager (DRM) Anup Kumar Satpathy unfurled the national flag and took Rashtriya Salami presented by contingents of Railway Protection Force, Bharat scouts and guides and civil defense marking the I-Day celebrations. After inspecting the contingents, the DRM appreciated all the railway personnel for their relentless efforts in flagging the division's performance high despite the pandemic. A khadi exhibition has been set up at the railway station.

ENC: Marking the day, a ceremonial parade was held at the Eastern Naval Command (ENC) comprising platoons of Naval personnel drawn from various ships, submarines, establishments and defence security corps at command parade ground. Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief, ENC Vice-Admiral Ajendra Bahadur Singh took the salute and inspected a 50 men armed guard.

Speaking on the occasion, the Commander-in-Chief, said the ENC would be hosting two major events in Visakhapatnam – the Presidential Fleet Review and 'MILAN' 2022 early next year.

APEPDCL celebrated Independence Day with gaiety. Chairman and Managing Director of APEPDCL K Santhosha Rao unfurled the tricolour and took the general salute given by the APTS Wing of the APEPDCL. In his Independence Day message, he appealed to all the employees to rededicate to the development of the organisation and become true leaders. Director (Projects), APEPDCL K Raja Bapaiah, director (Operations) B Ramesh Prasad, director (Finance) D Chandram, among others took part in the programme.

VPT: Visakhapatnam Port Trust celebrated the 75th Independence Day with fervour. After hoisting the flag, VPT chairman K Rama Mohana Rao said the VPT did well in the first quarter of the 2021-2022. Further, he said in order to sustain in the business, ports have to improve efficiency levels and cut costs beyond expectations.

VCTPL: Visakha Container Terminal Private Limited (VCTPL) commemorated the day with patriotic fervour. Deputy Chief Operating Officer Anil Narayanan hoisted the flag in the presence of the fire rescue team (FRT) and security team. Following safety protocols, a parade was held. The VCTPL team and their family members witnessed the celebrations.

DCI: This is the first time that the Dredging Corporation of India (DCI) presented live telecast of the entire programme on the social media site. MD & CEO of the DCI G Y V Victor led the employees in paying homage to the countless patriots who had laid down their lives to win and preserve the freedom of the nation. He urged the employees to stay safe in the prevailing pandemic situation.

ITDA: Integrated Tribal Development Agency (ITDA) Project Officer Gopalakrishna Ronanki hoisted the flag at the Paderu office and Talarsingh Boys School. He briefed on the development works taken by the ITDA.

Andhra University (AU) celebrated the day by hoisting the national flag. Vice-Chancellor of the varsity PVGD Prasad Reddy stressed on moral values and quality education that would go a long way in shaping the future of the students.

I-Day was observed with a ceremonial function at the Custom House, Visakhapatnam. Principal Chief Commissioner, Customs and Central GST Naresh Penumaka, unfurled the national flag.