Independence Day 2023: Know the history, significance of Indian flag
As India is celebrating its 77th independence day with fanfare and glee, there are some facts that you should know…
With India's tallest flag on the Indo-Pak border in Amritsar getting frequently damaged due to its height and weight, Punjab government will now take a call if it is feasible to continue furling the tricolour there or not.
The flag – weighting 100-kilogram and hoisted on 105-metre high flagpole at the Attari border — is supposed to be visible from Lahore as the place is just a few kilometers away from Pakistan.
But since its inauguration on 5 March, the flag – 36 metres in length and 24 metres wide – was damaged five times. One such flag costs Rs 1.25 lakh.
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The deputy commissioner (DC) Amritsar, Kamaldeep Singh Sangha said the flag is not being hoisted anymore but as it is a matter of national pride, the government needs to take a call whether the flag could be hoisted at its present height or not.
"I have written to the additional chief secretary (ACS), ACS (local bodies) and director general of police to take a call in the matter. As the flag is repeatedly getting damaged due to its height and material, it needs to be ascertained by a committee of experts if this project is feasible or not," he said.
Sangha said as large number of tourists, domestic and foreign, visit Attari border, the frequent damage to the flag is a serious issue as it is related to national prestige.
Built at an approximate cost of Rs 3.50 crore, the post was a project of Punjab government's Amritsar Improvement Trust (AIT) Authority. Now the AIT has suggested the use of smaller sized flag (72 feet long and 48 feet wide) instead of 120 feet long and 80 feet wide flag, but the DC said given the height and high velocity winds, there is no guarantee if a smaller sized flag would sustain. "A committee of experts needs to examine this issue and give its opinion on the feasibility of this project," Sangha said.
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