ALH Dhruv fleet: After the tragic crash of an ALH Dhruv Mk III in Porbandar, Gujarat, which resulted in the death of three Coast Guard personnel, the entire fleet of 300 ALH helicopters has been grounded due to safety concerns. The incident, which occurred on January 5th, has led to the decision to keep the helicopters out of the 76th Republic Day flypast.
Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh confirmed that the ALH helicopters will not participate in the parade. According to The Statesman , He explained, “The ALH will not be participating in the parade but a variety of other 39 aircraft will be taking part and 12 different formations will be displayed.”
Despite this setback, he reassured the public that Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) is thoroughly checking the safety of the fleet. However, Singh also made it clear that it is unlikely the helicopters will be ready for the Republic Day event. He said, “Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) is currently conducting safety checks, and it will be sorted out soon. However, it is unlikely the fleet will return to action in time for the Republic Day parade.”
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This year’s Republic Day parade will be a large-scale event, with around 77,000 participants expected. The theme for the celebration is ‘Swarnim Bharat: Virasat aur Vikas,’ which translates to ‘Golden India: Heritage and Progress.’ Singh mentioned that more than 32,000 tickets have already been sold. In response to public feedback, the government has increased the number of cultural performers to over 5,000.
This change will allow all the viewing galleries to see the same dance performances at the same time, rather than just those near the Presidential dais.
“There was feedback from the public that most of the dance performances were concentrated around the Presidential dais and the rest of the viewing galleries did not get enough views. So, the government has decided to increase the number of cultural performers to more than 5,000,” Singh explained.
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The military and martial elements of the parade will remain as strong as ever. The Republic Day parade will include 18 marching contingents, 15 bands, and 31 tableaux. These tableaux will represent 15 states and Union Territories such as Andhra Pradesh, Goa, Bihar, and Gujarat, and will be displayed along the Kartavya Path.
