CHANDIGARH: On August 15, about two months after ‘Operation Sindoor’, the tricolour is expected to be hoisted at the Mahavir-Sadqi border in Fazilka district of Punjab, as a 200-feet-high flag post has been erected at this border point. This will be the third post in the state along the Indo-Pak intentional border where the national flag will be waving higher than Pakistan’s Parcham-e-Sitara-o-Hilal (flag of the star and crescent).
Sources said that there are three border points between India and Pakistan in Punjab: the first is the world famous Attari-Wagah border in Amritsar district, where the country’s highest tricolour at 418 feet is hoisted, and the second is Hussainiwala border in the Ferozpur district where the tricolour is hoisted at 165 feet a few years back.
Now, two months after ‘Operation Sindoor', the tricolour will be hoisted at 200-feet-high at Mahavir-Sadqi border in Fazilka district, outdoing the flag of neighboring country.
A 60-metre-high (approximately 200 feet) flag post has been prepared from galvanised iron with a power coating at the border point on a high cement concrete pedestal as a heavy crane erected the flag post on Sunday.
Once completed, a 40x60 feet tricolor will be hoisted and the another 32 x48 feet flag; the flag is made of fibre cloth, said sources.
Talking to TNIE, Rural Development and Panchayat department, Executive Engineer Rajesh Grover said the 20x20 feet flag post has been constructed as the tender was allotted four months back and the BSF has handed them over the national flag that has been prepared in such a manner that they will face the least damage even in bad weather.
"The total cost of the project is around Rs 70 lakh and soon they will hand this flag post over to the Border Security Force (BSF) to hoist the tricolour as the area falls under its jurisdiction as of now electric connections are being given," he added.
A few years ago, there was a ~165-feet-high (50 metres) high flag point which was constructed by Pakistan on their side on this border point and their flag was unveiled. But now the national flag on the Indian side at this border point will be higher than of the neighboring country.
At this border check post, like Attari and Hussainiwala, a flag-lowering ceremony takes place every evening. There are visitor galleries also for the public to witness the retreat ceremony; rooms were constructed for flag meetings.
There are water headworks on the Pakistan side on the Satluj river, which reaches here from the Hussainiwala border in a zigzag manner from India by entering and exiting Pakistan. Apart from the watching the retreat ceremony at this border point, there is nearby Asafwala War Memorial (in the remembrance of the martyrs of the 1971 Indo-Pak War).