High-mast tricolours to be installed at 75 places in Delhi before R-Day

Delhi's public works department will set up 35 metre-high national flags at 75 locations across the city by January 26, officials said on Wednesday.

The installation of high-mast national flags is being done by the PWD under Delhi government's 'Deshbhakti Budget' to celebrate India's 75 years of Independence.

According to government officials, under the initiative, the PWD has to install high-mast tricolours at 500 locations across Delhi.

"We will install 75 high-mast tricolours at different locations of the city positively by the Republic Day. The remaining are likely to come up by March 31. These tricolours will be 35- metre (over 100 ft)-high," a senior government official, who wished not to be named, told PTI.

The official said that these national flags will come up at public places like parks, big school buildings, markets complexes, residential complexes, grounds etc.

He said the tricolours will be erected in a way that they are visible at every 2-3 km. The flags will be set up on lines of the 200 ft-high national flag installed at Central Park in Connaught Place.

The official said that earlier the target was to complete the project by January 26, but due to land related hurdles it got delayed.

"We did not get land easily to install such big flags as these cannot be set up anywhere. We also had to conduct a feasibility study and check if the location is right before installation. We have now revised the target to set up 75 such high-mast flags by January 26 to celebrate 75th year of Independence," the official added.

In March last year, the Delhi government had announced its annual budget themed on patriotism and named it Deshbhakti budget under which Rs 45 crore was set aside to install the national flag at 500 locations across the national capital.

Later in September last year, the AAP government increased the budget and approved an amount of Rs 104.37 crore for the project.

By August 15, 2021, the PWD has installed high-mast national flags at five locations in the city, which include East Kidwai Nagar, Rani Bagh, East Vinod Nagar, Kalkaji and Dwarka.

East Kidwai Nagar falls in Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's constituency which is New Delhi. East Vinod Nagar is in Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia's constituency Patparganj and Rani Bagh falls in PWD minister Satyendar Jain's constituency Shakurbasti.