418-foot-high Tricolour, India’s tallest, to be hoisted at Attari

Tribune News Service

GS Paul

Amritsar, May 1

The country’s tallest Tricolour will be hoisted at the Attari border soon.

The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has undertaken the daunting task of setting up a 418-foot-tall national flag at Attari-Wagah joint checkPost. The flag pole will be 18 feet taller than the Pakistani Parcham-e-Sitarah-o-Hilal, flying atop a 400-feet high mast on the Wagah side.

At present, a 360-foot high Tricolour is hoisted at the check post and it was installed in March 2017. This 120x80 foot large flag weighs around 55 tonnes. In an apparent ‘flag war’, Pakistan hoisted a taller flag at a height of 400-foot on their side in August, the same year.

The new Tricolour project costs over Rs 3.5 crore. Disclosing this, Member of Parliament Gurjeet Singh Aujla who had taken up the matter with the Ministry of National Highways Authorities of India (NHAI) prominently, said the project is almost complete and is expected to be opened in the current month. “The Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways will be present on the day of opening,” he said.

He said he had emphasised using a special material for that Tricolour so that it could bear the brunt of adverse weather conditions. “I have been told that the material which is generally used for making parachutes has been finalised for the purpose,” he said.

The pole mast has been specially designed. Being hollow, it would have stairs inside, in addition to a hydraulic lift outside. “This special provision will enable a couple of the Border Security Force (BSF) jawans to go atop the flag mast. It will serve as a medium to help them keep a watchful eye on the activities of the other side of the border too,” said Aujla.

NHAI Engineer-in-charge Yogesh Yadav confirmed that the Tricolour would be the tallest in the country. He said every minute detail was being examined under the supervision of project director Sunil Yadav.

After precise soil testing, the foundation of the pole has been set up opposite to the Swarn Jyoti Dwar near spectators’ gallery for wider visibility. “It is being done in a phased manner. After the installation, its surroundings too would be beautified with safety railing around,” he said.

Belagavi holds current record

• Belagavi, Karnataka 361 ft
• Attari-Wagah JCP 360 ft
• Ranchi, Jharkhand 293 ft
• Hyderabad 291 ft
• Raipur 269 ft
• Faridabad 250 ft
• Pune 237 ft
• Anand Park, Amritsar 170 ft

18 feet taller than Pak’s

The flag pole will be 18 feet taller than the Pak Parcham-e-Sitarah-o-Hilal, flying atop a 400-foot-high mast on the Wagah side.

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