The Railways and CPWD tableaux, which had enthralled the visitors at the parade on the Republic Day in the past, will be conspicuously absent this time around.
Sources said that the expert committee has rejected tableaux of the CPWD under the Urban Development Ministry and the Indian Railways under the Railway Ministry.
“The Indian Railways will not be showcasing its projects or achievements at the Republic Day parade this year as its tableau has been rejected by an expert committee. This year, the Railways’ theme was based on connectivity to remote parts of the country, like the northeast, ease of booking tickets through mobile phones, cleanliness and other upgraded amenities at trains and stations,” said the sources.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi had in November 2014 flagged off the first train connecting Mendipathar in Meghalaya to Guwahati and it was part of the replica this year. However, the theme was rejected as the expert committee responsible for selection of tableaux did not find it very interesting.
A replica of “bullet train” mounted on the Railway tableau had drawn applause from the crowd as the national transporter showcased the ambitious high speed train project at the R-Day parade last year, when the theme was “Indian Railways — on fast track to the future”.