New Delhi: The Aam Aadmi Party government in Delhi has decided to put on hold the year-long events it had proposed to mark the 75th anniversary of Independence.
The programmes have been suspended for an indefinite period due to the latest spike in Covid-19 cases in the national capital. Delhi reported 4,033 fresh Covid-19 cases and 21 deaths Sunday, its highest spike in the number of cases this year.
Officials of the Delhi art and culture department told ThePrint that the frequency of events will be reduced from the proposed once a week to perhaps once a month, and with strict Covid-appropriate behaviour even if they are held.
The AAP government had already cancelled its first event, planned for 27 March, in which families of prominent freedom fighters from Delhi — Mir Mushtaq Ahmed, Hakim Ajmal Khan and Jugal Kishore Khanna, among others — were to be honoured.
Along with invitations to their families, a mobile exhibition was also planned and Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisoida was to address the gathering.
The event was cancelled in the backdrop of the increasing coronavirus cases in Delhi, confirmed a senior official of the arts and culture department.
The plans have been suspended until further orders.
“We are still working out the modalities as to when we can afford to have the first event since at this point we cannot afford to add the daily number of cases by holding large gatherings of any sort,” Sanjay Garg, chairman, Department of Delhi Archives, told ThePrint.
He added that the government is still looking at holding one event this month, but it might be done online on Zoom app. “It could be a general talk on the relevance of 75 years of Independence or deshbhakti (patriotism) and may not include the grandeur that was planned for the first such function,” Garg said.
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Delhi government’s I-Day plans
The Delhi government had proposed 75-week-long celebrations, which would include cultural functions, heritage talks and discussions.
Much of these were to be held at Kashmere Gate and Qudsia Bagh, given this is where many of the events during the 1857 rebellion took place.
They were to be organised by the archaeology, archives, arts, culture and language, and tourism departments. The plan also included lighting up all historical buildings.
The events were to be a collaborative effort with non-government organisations holding heritage tours and baithaks at sites connected with key events that led to India’s Independence, an official involved in the project said.
But much like its own plan, the Delhi government has also decided to tone down events to be held under the central government-mandated ‘Azadi ka Amrut Mahotsav’, the senior official of the Delhi arts and culture department quoted above said.
Under ‘Azadi ka Amrut Mahotsav’, the Modi government had asked states and union territories to hold weekly events right until 15 August next year.
Last month, Delhi Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal had even asked Chief Secretary Vijay Dev to constitute a state-level committee to plan and oversee smooth implementation of the programmes.
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