Display of weapons and army equipment including artillery guns and fly past by fighter jets and helicopters as well as various cultural events will mark the ‘Army Mela’ here on December 10 under aegis of the Southern Army Command.
The Southern Command of the Army chose this town as the venue of this year’s ‘Army Mela’ to showcase modern military weapons and equipment as part of allowing the public to see the Army’s facilities and capabilities as also to create awareness among ex-service personnel on various welfare schemes being implemented for them, Defence Security Corps (DSC) Centre Deputy Commandant V.U. Manoj said at a press meet here on Monday.
Apart from the display of the weapons and equipment, the mela would also include a military pageant and facilities for ex-service persons to redress their grievances and to get assistance, he informed. A stall would be opened for those interested in participating in the Army’s recruitment drive.
The pageant to be held at the Jawahar Stadium on December 10 would be inaugurated by Defence Minister A.K. Antony. The spectacle would start with the fly past by fighter aircrafts including Dornier light transport aircraft and helicopters of the Indian Air Force, Lt. Col. Manoj said. The show would also include para motoring, sky diving, hot air balloon, daring feats of the Army’s Dare Devil motor cycle riders, horse show and dog show and band display, among others.
An exhibition showcasing the weapons would begin at the Police Maidan at 8.30 a.m. The exhibition featuring an array of weapons possessed by the Army would include T-72 tanks, armoured personnel carriers, BrahMos missiles, anti-tank guided missiles, rocket launchers, various improvised explosive devices, and nuclear, biological and chemical warfare suit, artillery guns and bridging equipment. Maj. Gen. A.K. Pradhan, General Officer Commanding (Karnataka and Kerala Sub Area) would formally open the exhibition at 8.30 a.m. Both the exhibition and the pageant would be open to the public, Lt. Col. Manoj said. A full dress rehearsal of the Army Mela programmes would be held on December 8 would also be open to the public, he added.
He also informed that ex-servicemen grievance/help stalls would be opened by various regiments and corps and also by the Sailors Bureau and the IAF to address grievances of ex-servicemen. A free medical camp would also be organised for the retired jawans, he added. He said that the district administration, the Kannur municipality and the police had extended their co-operation for holding the event. The ‘mela’ would culminate with a cultural event and fireworks.
