Fly-past, showering of petals mark Armed forces' thanksgiving to "corona warriors" in southern states

The Armed forces on Sunday flew their helicopters over various COVID-19 designated hospitals in the southern states and showered flower petals acknowledging the role played by front-line personnel such as doctors, paramedics and police in the fight against the pandemic.

Helicopters of the Indian Air Force, the Navy and the Coast Guard took to the skies and carried out the thanksgiving effort in cities, including Hyderabad, Chennai, Thiruvananthapuram, Kochi, Visakhapatnam, and Bengaluru.

In Kochi, the headquarters of the Southern Naval Command, Naval aircraft carried out a fly-past over the Marine Drive while seven Fast Interceptor Crafts undertook a steam-past in the channel along the city's iconic spot.

The activities were part of the nation-wide initiative announced by Chief of Defence Staff Gen Bipin Rawat who had on Friday said the three services will carry out a series of activities to thank the "corona warriors".

The front-line workers were overwhelmed by the gesture of the armed forces as they clapped and took photos as the choppers whizzed past them.

"We are doing our duty, we know the danger of the disease, but we come here and do as its our duty. Such gesture, that too from the Armed forces is great, it will help us keep going," a hospital staff said in Bengaluru.

In Hyderabad, IAF's Chetak helicopter hovered over the state-run Gandhi hospital and showered petals as doctors, nurses, paramedical, sanitation and other staff and police personnel assembled near the premises.

Several of the COVID-19 'warriors' were seen taking videos and photos using their mobile phones while some others clapped.

In Kerala, the Indian Air Force and Navy helicopters showered flower petals on hospitals in Thiruvananthapuram and Kochi while a fly-past and steam-past were also conducted.

A Sarang helicopter of IAF hovered over the Government Medical College Hospital and the General Hospital in the state capital and showered petals.

Navy's representatives, including Commodores N Anil Joseph, Arti Sarin and G K Dutta, met doctors, paramedics, police personnel, firemen, sanitation workers and other frontline workers at the Ernakulam General Hospital and applauded their efforts in fighting COVID-19.

A Chetak helicopter of the Navy showered flower petals on the district hospital, a report from Kochi said.

Rajendra Maidan at Ernakulam was open to the public for a limited time with social distancing protocol to witness these activities and show their support.

The Southern Naval Command band played some famous numbers on a warship berthed opposite the Cochin Shipyard Limited and near the Vikrant-Venduruthy Bridge.

A report from Andhra Pradesh capital Amaravati said helicopters of the Indian Navy from the Eastern Naval Command flew past the designated Covid-19 hospitals -- the state-run Chest and Communicable Diseases Hospital and the private Gitam Hospital -- at Visakhapatnam and showered flowers.

Doctors, nurses and paramedical staff lined up on the hospital premises and acknowledged the Defence forces gesture.

The ENC officers later felicitated the doctors and other medical staff in a thanksgiving gesture.

In Chennai, helicopters of the IAF strew flower petals on the Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital and the Tamil Nadu Government Multi-Super Speciality Hospital at Omandurar Estate in the heart of the city.

Later, a Coast Guard helicopter carried out a similar activity honouring personnel at the Government Stanley Medical College and Kilpauk Medical College in the city.

In Bengaluru, IAF's Mi-17 helicopter showered flower petals on the Victoria Hospital and Command Hospital while the air warrior's band also made a presentation.

The front-line workers too acknowledged the gesture of the Defence forces by clapping while several clicked photos.

The Defence Public Relations Office in Bengaluru tweeted that bands from Madras Engineer Group (MEG), Parachute Regiment Training Centre (PRTC), Army Service Corps bands performed on Saturday thanking the corona warriors.

"Indian Army thanking all the #CoronaWarriorsIndia for their efforts in mitigating #Covid_19india crisis. Bands from #MEG, #PRTC, and #ASC performed at Vidhan Soudha, National War memorial and MG Metro stn respectively yest," it said.

The armed forces on Friday announced conducting fly- pasts, light up ships at sea, display military bands and shower flower petals on hospitals in a grand display of gratitude to lakhs of "corona warriors" like doctors, paramedics and police personnel.