Independence Day: GB Nagar admin puts emphasis on civic duty

GREATER NOIDA: Gautam Budh Nagar celebrated the 80th Independence Day with district-wide ceremonies, where the administration emphasised civic responsibility and public service

GREATER NOIDA: Gautam Budh Nagar celebrated the 80th Independence Day with district-wide ceremonies, where the administration emphasised civic responsibility and public service. The administration also honoured personnel for distinguished service and families of five policemen who died in the line of duty.

The Noida Gate illuminated with the colours of the national flag in celebration of the 80th Independence Day. (Sunil Ghosh/HT)

District magistrate Medha Roopam unfurled the national flag at the collectorate. Roopam honoured Sandhya Gupta, daughter of the late freedom fighter Shiv Narayan Gupta, and felicitated students from Dharam Public School, Greater Noida, for their cultural performances.

Addressing officials, employees and residents, Roopam said Independence Day should be viewed as more than a ceremonial occasion. “We should celebrate this day not merely as a one-day festival, but as a resolve to understand and discharge our duties and responsibilities towards the country,” she said.

Stressing civic responsibility, Roopam urged residents to contribute to cleanliness drives and encourage people around them to adopt cleanliness practices. She also called for greater community support for people in need and suggested that occasions such as birthdays and anniversaries could be used to help vulnerable people.

The district’s celebrations were also marked by a ceremony by the Gautam Budh Nagar police commissionerate at the police lines, where police commissioner Laxmi Singh unfurled the national flag and administered a pledge to personnel to protect the country’s unity, integrity and sovereignty.

The ceremony also recognised police personnel for distinguished and courageous service. Personnel received DGP’s excellence and commendation awards based on their service and acts of bravery. The families of five policemen who died while performing their duties were also felicitated.

Those honoured included the families of fire service driver Tirathpal Singh, fireman Rohit Yadav, inspector Subodh Kumar Singh, head constable Bijendra Kumar and constable Sunil Bhati. Singh assured the families that the police department would stand with them in every circumstance, according to the commissionerate.

At a separate district-level function at Government Girls Inter College in Sector 51, Hoshiarpur, Uttar Pradesh minister Narendra Kashyap unfurled the national flag and inaugurated cultural programmes. He also planted a sapling on the school premises and urged citizens to ensure the protection and upkeep of trees after planting them.

Kashyap emphasised the role of young people in the country’s future and referred to the Centre’s goal of making India a developed nation by 2047, calling for collective participation towards it. He also felicitated meritorious girl students, while students presented patriotic songs, dances and theatrical performances based on the freedom struggle.

The celebrations extended to police stations and offices across the commissionerate, where flags were unfurled and personnel took a pledge to contribute towards strengthening the country’s unity, integrity and sovereignty.

In neighbouring Ghaziabad, the district administration held a tribute and felicitation ceremony at the Shaheed Smarak, where cabinet minister Sunil Kumar Sharma, district magistrate Ravindra Kumar Mandar, municipal commissioner Vikramaditya Singh Malik and chief development officer Kumar Saurabh paid floral tributes to martyrs.

Sharma unfurled the national flag, followed by the national anthem, while families of martyred soldiers were honoured with shawls and sweets.

Addressing the gathering, Mandar said citizens should discharge their duties and responsibilities towards the country with dedication and honesty and work towards realising the dreams of the martyrs. He said this would be a true tribute to the martyrs and their families. He also urged every citizen to plant a sapling in the name of the nation, saying this would contribute to environmental and water conservation.

Back in Noida, the Shaheed Smarak in Sector 29 became another focal point of the day’s commemorations, with the Noida Shaheed Smarak Sanstha honouring the next of kin of 45 martyrs from Gautam Buddh Nagar. Lt Gen Rakesh Chadha, executive director of the memorial, unfurled the national flag, after which families of the martyrs, veterans and residents paid floral tributes at the cenotaph. Children of Army Public School, Sector 37, accompanied by their mini band, rendered the national anthem.

The memorial, described by its organisers as the country’s only tri-service memorial, also saw retired armed forces officers and members of the local community pay homage to the martyrs. The ceremony concluded with sweets being distributed to the staff involved in maintaining the memorial.

Beyond the official ceremonies, residents, schools and universities across Noida and Greater Noida also marked the day with local celebrations. RWAs in sectors 46, 105, 51, 72, 70, 12 and Beta 1 organised flag-unfurled ceremonies and cultural programmes, while residents in sectors 12 and 52 held a Tiranga Yatra, Prabhat Pheri and a community function. Schools and universities, including St Joseph School, Greater Noida, and Amity University Noida, also organised patriotic and cultural programmes, with students and residents participating in the national anthem and Vande Mataram.