District Collector T.N.Hariharan hoisted the national flag and took the guard of honor at the 71st Independence Day celebrations organized at VOC grounds.
Later the Collector honored the freedom fighters with a shawl and distributed welfare measures to the tune of Rs.14.99 crore to 554 beneficiaries under various government schemes and departments.
Government officials who have rendered meritorious service in the line of duty would be honored with certificates and shawls on the occasion.
However the inadequate arrangements made for the media persons had led to bitterness. The official in the tarmac refused to even supply drinking water bottles to journalists who have come to gather news, which led to heated argument and later they were supplied with refreshments.
The locked up accessible toilet for the disabled persons and the lone toilet which served the huge numbers of visitors pointed to the inadequate preparations by the district officials.
The official apathy is also seen in the certificates issued as it bore 70th Independence Day celebration instead of 71st Independence Day, which the country is celebrating today.
Cultural events including folk and group dances, and other performances were staged and prizes would distributed for the best teams.