Telangana

Thousands in Hyderabad sing national anthem together in statewide programme

Hyderabad metro officials and traffic police had asked commuters to halt and participate in the mass recital on the morning of August 16.

Written by : IANS

The mass national singing programme organised by the Telangana government was observed on Tuesday, August 16, as people in many public places in Telangana participated in the recital. At 11.30 am, the traffic lights at junctions turned red and the national anthem was played at public address systems so people could join the mass recital. Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao joined the programme at the statue of former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru in Abids in the heart of the city.

The Hyderabad Traffic Police had earlier announced that vehicular traffic would be stopped at all traffic junctions, including those with signals and manned by traffic police personnel, at 11.30 am on August 16, because of the mass national anthem singing programme to be held at that time. The programme was organised as part of the celebrations to mark 75 years of India's independence. Ministers, MPs, state legislators and other public representatives, political leaders and officials participated in the programme held across the state.

People at several traffic junctions, offices, educational institutions, malls and other public places participated in the programme. People gathered in gram panchayats, urban local bodies and other places for the mass recital. Employees in the government offices and students in schools and colleges also joined the mass recital. Commuters in the Hyderabad metro trains were also asked to participate in the programme. The national anthem was also sung at the metro stations.

The programme was conducted as part of the two-week-long Swatantra Bharata Vajrotsavalu or diamond jubilee celebrations of Independence Day organised by the state government. At the main programme held at Abids, hundreds of people joined CM KCR and other ministers and officials in the recital. Vajrotsavalu Committee Chairman AK Keshava Rao, ministers Mahmood Ali, Srinivas Goud, Erraballi Dayakar Rao, Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi, Chief Secretary Somesh Kumar and others were also present.

Police had imposed traffic restrictions in Abids and surrounding busy areas in view of the main programme. As part of the two-week-long celebrations, the state government also distributed 1.2 crore national flags across the state through door-to-door distribution. The government also organised a screening of Richard Attenborough's film Gandhi for school children at 563 movie theatres and conducted freedom runs.

Meanwhile, Vajrotsava Committee Chairman Keshava Rao appealed to the people to make a grand success of the closing function of the Vajrotsavalu organised at the LB Stadium on August 22. CM KCR will deliver the keynote address at the function, he said.

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