The Navy has decided to shift its annual Navy Day celebrations on December 4 from Visakhapatnam and may hold it in Mumbai. This comes after the IAF and the Army have shifted their annual parades to other parts of the country from the national capital.
The Army Day Parade next year on January 15 will be held in the Southern Command area while the Air Force Day on October 8 this year will also be held outside its traditional venue of Hindon Airbase in Ghaziabad. The Southern Command area of the Army will host the parade.
Asked if the Navy Day celebrations too will be shifted to a venue outside Visakhapatnam, a naval source said, "Yes" while asserting that "the new venue has not been finalised yet".
The country celebrates December 4 every year as Navy Day in commemoration of Operation Trident when the ships of the Indian Navy delivered a lethal and powerful missiles' attack on Karachi harbour, paving way for a great victory for India during the 1971 Indo-Pak war and in memory of those who made supreme sacrifice.
A large number of Indian Navy ships and other vessels of different classes and capabilities gather in Visakhapatnam annually to mark the historic day with grand celebrations.