HOSAPETE: This is the height of patriotism. The country’s tallest flagpole will be unveiled and the national flag will be hoisted this Independence Day at Hosapete, the headquarters of the new district Vijayanagara.
The construction of the flagpole is on and when it is finally ready, it will be 123 metres tall. The second tallest flagpole in the country too is located in the state, at Kote Kere in Belagavi standing at 110 metres.
The Hosapete flagpole project is the brainchild of local MLA and Tourism Minister Anand Singh.
The district tourism department has released Rs 6 crore for the project, while private sponsors have taken up the work of installing the flagpole at Puneeth Rajkumar Stadium. A Maharashtra-based company is working on the installation of the flagpole, on which a Tricolour of 120x80 feet dimension will be unfurled.
“The new flagpole will be a major tourist attraction in the district, apart from Hampi and Tungabhadra reservoir. The district already receives tourists from all over the world. The flagpole can be seen from anywhere in Hosapete and surroundings,” said a member of the flagpole construction committee.
Local residents are demanding that Anand Singh inaugurate the flagpole on August 15. But as he is the district in-charge minister of Koppal, he will hoist the flag at the Koppal stadium.
Vijayanagara district in-charge minister Shashikala Jolle will attend the Independence Day function at Hosapete.
Sources said that talks are going on at the government level about whether Singh should be allowed to do the honours as he is instrumental in ideating the project.