Ships from 19 countries and approximately 4,000 delegates would be participating in the IFR.
| Photo Credit: File photo
Arrangements are being made for the prestigious naval events International Fleet Review (IFR) and MILAN 2026, scheduled to be held in the city starting February 18.
Chief of Staff, Eastern Naval Command (ENC), Vice-Admiral Susheel Menon (VSM) and a group of naval officers met Chief Secretary K. Vijayanand at the Secretariat to discuss the arrangements for the IFR, scheduled to begin on February 18, and MILAN 2026, beginning on next day, a release from the district administration on said on Monday (February 2).
The ENC officials explained to the Chief Secretary that ships from 19 countries and approximately 4,000 delegates would be participating in the IFR. They added that President Droupadi Murmu, Governor Justice S. Abdul Nazeer and Chief Minister Nara Chandrababu Naidu would be attending the Fleet Review, and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will attend MILAN. The Chief Minister and other dignitaries would also attend the International City Parade.
Mr. Vijayanand told the ENC officers that the government would provide all necessary assistance to make the IFR and MILAN 2026 a success. The Chief Secretary issued instructions to the departments concerned regarding the arrangements to be made.
Meanwhile, ahead of the naval events, the Police and Fisheries departments conducted an awareness programme for fisherfolk on coastal security, at Kotha Jalaripeta here on Monday.
A joint meeting was organised with representatives of fisherfolk associations and boat owners. The officials briefed the fisherfolk on security measures to be followed during the Fleet Review. They said fishing boats should avoid entering designated prohibited zones during the event in view of security considerations. They appealed to the fisherfolk to extend their cooperation to ensure a smooth and incident-free conduct of the programme.
As part of coastal security, officials advised the fisherfolk to alert the coastal police by calling the toll-free number 1093 if they notice any new boats or persons at sea. Inspector of One Town police station Varaprasad, Fisheries department Joint Director D. Laxman Rao and others were present.
Published – February 02, 2026 08:08 pm IST
