350-ft-high border Tricolour at Rs 4.5 cr

Jupinderjit Singh

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, January 15

Away from the din of ensuing Punjab Assembly election and rhetoric on nationalism over surgical strikes, work is on war-footing near the Wagah Border to hoist the tallest national flag in the country.

At more than 350 feet high, the flag would be around 100 feet taller than the Qutub Minar. The work is expected to be over by January 26. Local Bodies Minister Anil Joshi said the flag would be an additional attraction to the large number of tourists visiting the border. “The cost of the project is Rs4.5 crore. The Improvement Trust, Amritsar, is funding it,” he said.

The work to lay the foundation, around 20 feet underground, for the giant pillar to hoist the flag is underway. The site is 200 metre short of the India-Pakistan border. “Twenty-four extra flags will be given to the BSF so that there is no delay in replacing it if damaged,” Joshi said.

Earlier, a site closer to the border was shortlisted for the purpose but due to some restrictions on erecting high installations near the International Border, it was decided to install the flag at a distance.

The project was first delayed as the initially chosen land belonged to the Defence for which the permission of the Ministry of Home Affairs was required. “To save time, a piece of land of the State Tourism Department was selected and approved,” Joshi said.

He said earlier his ministry had funded erection of the 170-foot high national flag on the Wagah border. “We thought it was the tallest but it was not. So, we decided to install a flag taller than the Qutub Minar,” he added.