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Cost of patriotism: The soaring expenses of towering tricolours
Nothing comes free and that includes soaring national pride. Several states and organisations competing with each other in hoisting the country’s largest and tallest tricolour are finding that out the hard way.
Nothing comes free and that includes soaring national pride.
Several states and organisations competing with each other in hoisting the country’s largest and tallest tricolour are finding that out the hard way.
To mark its second formation day on June 2, Telangana spent Rs 3 crore on unfurling a flag measuring 72-foot long and 108-foot wide atop a 291-foot tall mast that weighed 40 tonnes in Hyderabad.
But keeping the huge flag fluttering is proving to be a tall task. Since being unfurled, the flag has already been replaced twice as strong winds invariably tear the cloth.
The first time it was torn, the flag was stitched and hoisted again. But as the Indian flag code, which governs usage of the national flag, does not permit the hoisting of a repaired flag, the authorities have had to order two fresh flags in quick succession.
Each new flag cost the state exchequer about Rs 2 lakh and is likely to add to the financial burden of the Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority (HMDA) that is entrusted with the upkeep of the flag at the Sanjeevaiah Park.
According to HMDA commissioner T Chiranjeevulu, the upkeep of the flag is estimated to set them back by about Rs 70 lakh per annum. “Now that we have officially taken over the project, we will appoint dedicated staff to maintain the flag in shifts. The cost includes salaries, maintenance of lawns, repairs to flag pole, replacement flags, high-mast lights, generators. Whether the government will reimburse or not, HM DA will bear the cost from its own resources,” he said.
Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh and UP, states with giant-sized flags are facing similar rough weather.
Ranchi boasts of the country’s tallest flag, fluttering at a height of 293 feet atop the Pahari temple. The task of keeping it fluttering is equally towering. Since being unfurled by defence minister Manohar Parrikar on January 23, the flag has been torn four times and some Rs 3.4 lakh has been spent by the Pahari temple authorities to get replacements.
The authorities also made heavy weather of hoisting the large flag some weeks ago and it remained stuck at halfmast for several days. The malfunction attracted public ridicule and the flag could be brought down only after dozens of workers built a scaffold round the flagpole to climb up. The flag has not been hoisted since then.
Larger and higher being the norm, Raipur in Chhattisgarh got its own showpiece on April 30 with the tricolour flying at 269 feet. The project cost the state Rs 1.10 crore and another Rs 3.6 lakh for three new flags after being repeatedly torn.
But nothing has slowed down the vanity projects as yet. The BSF is reportedly working to put up the country’s tallest tricolour at the Wagah border. Fluttering at 350 feet, the flag will be visible from Lahore, a top official is quoted to have said.
(With inputs from Hyderabad, Lucknow, Raipur, Ranchi)
