Delhi government cancels 'Swaraj Parv', three day programme

NEW DELHI: A day after making an announcement of celebrating Independence Day as 'Swaraj Parv' with a three-day grand cultural programme in Connaught Place, Delhi government today cancelled the programme citing bad weather.

"Government has cancelled the three-day-long celebrations of Swaraj Parv due to bad weather condition," Delhi Home Minister Satyendar Jain told reporters here.

Sources in the Delhi government said that police yesterday refused to give permission to hold the event citing security concern ahead of Independence Day.

"We received a communication from the Delhi Police. In the letter, police said that there may be law and order problem in New Delhi area ahead of Independence Day if the programme is held and in view of this, government has decided not to hold the function," said a senior government official.

The official said that a tender was also floated to select a company to hold the programme, but at the last moment, government had to cancel the function.

Reacting strongly to police's move, another senior official said that Delhi Police had last year allowed to hold such programme at the Central Park organised by LG's office, but this year, police did not give permission to an elected government to do the same.

Tourism minister Kapil Mishra had yesterday announced that the AAP government would celebrate Independence Day as 'Swaraj Parv' with a three-day grand cultural programme planned in Connaught Place starting from August 14 to August 16 and said that no passes would be required to attend such programme.

Mishra had also said that all events that used to be conducted by Delhi Government's different departments in their silos in Delhi's remote locations have been centralised and made part of one umbrella event - Swaraj Parv.