Vice-President C.P. Radhakrishnan will inaugurate the 140th anniversary celebrations of Deepika, a vernacular daily and mouthpiece of the Catholic Church, on Sunday (May 31).

According to the organisers, all the preparations for the inauguration have been completed. The Vice-President will formally inaugurate the event at 2.30 p.m. at a function to be held at Mamman Mappila Hall in Kottayam. Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar will preside over the function, while Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan will deliver the keynote address. The Vice-President will also give away Deepika Excellence awards to those who have made outstanding achievements in various fields.

Established on April 5, 1887, Deepika has traversed three centuries and the Catholic Church often utilises the platform to express its political stance and articulate its approach toward various governments and their actions.

Ahead of the Vice-President’s visit, the district police have completed the security arrangements in the town. Special traffic restrictions will be enforced in the town and surrounding areas from 1 p.m. on Sunday. Goods vehicles will not be allowed to enter Kottayam town from 11 a.m. until the end of the Vice-President’s visit.

Earlier, Central security agencies visited the town to assess the security arrangements and conducted a trial run for the Vice-President’s helicopter landing at the police parade ground.

Meanwhile, the District Collector has imposed a 24-hour ban on the operation of helicopters, drones, microlight aircraft, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), and other flying devices within the airspace over the Kottayam Police Parade Ground, the event venue, and at helipads across the district. The restriction will come into force from 12 a.m. on May 31. The ban will not apply to the Air Force, the Special Protection Group (SPG), the State Police, or any other agencies officially assigned duties in connection with the Vice-President’s visit.