500 high-mast national flags to be soon installed in Delhi; check full details here

The initiative comes under Delhi government’s Deshbhakti budget (Photo: IE)

The Public Works Department is all set for the installation of 500 high-mast national flags across the city. The plan will now cost Rs 84 crore against the initially proposed amount of Rs 45 crore. The PWD (Public Works Department ) had already floated a tender for the installation of 495 such Tricolours. The initiative comes under Delhi government’s Deshbhakti budget.

Manish Sisodia, Deputy Chief Minister, Delhi had called the Tricolour the “greatest symbol of our individual identity” in the budget speech. High-mast flags, like the one installed in CP(Connaught Place, Delhi), will be installed in a way that at least one is visible from every 2 km distance, he added. Once coming out of homes, Delhi citizens won’t return back without seeing at least one high-mast flag. They will return with the feeling of patriotism and national pride, he concluded.

The Tricolour installed at Connaught Place, which is 207-ft-tall) was installed in 2014 by the Flag Foundation of India, former Congress MP and industrialist Naveen Jindal’s organisation. If sources are to be believed, five out of these flags are expected to arrive by August 15 in New Delhi, Patparganj, Shakurbasti, Kalkaji and Dwarka assembly constituencies.

As per the tender, the masts for the flags will be 35 metres tall, which is equal to 114 feet and the base will be made of red and white sandstone. The dimensions of the tricolor would be 36 feet by 24 feet.

PWD is also conducting a survey of public places, parks, grounds, big commercial building complexes to find appropriate locations for the installation of flags, revealed the officials. LED lighting will also be installed with the flag to keep it illuminated, read the tender document. Lightning finials also have to be installed atop the flag mast for a direct conducting path.

The work to install flags will be executed without disrupting traffic, the tender states. A careful plan has to be drafted by the contractor so that traffic moves at all the time and doesn’t cause ruckus. The traffic diversion plan would also require approval from the Delhi Traffic Police and of the department, the tender further read.