Symbols of patriotic zeal back in pole position
Most of the monumental flags were not hoisted since March-April due to Covid-19. Now, several of them are back and the remaining ones would begin fluttering on Independence Day
LUCKNOW/PRAYAGRAJ/VARANASI/ GORAKHPUR/KANPUR: The tallest attraction at Lucknow’s Janeshwar Mishra Park, a monumental Indian flag, is back again just before the Independence Day. The activities around the flag— clicking pictures, selfies, photo and video shoots, as well as singing the national anthem — are also regaining currency.
The 90 x 60 foot flag weighing 38 kilogram was hoisted atop a 207-foot mast on Thursday. The mast had stood without the flag since Covid-19 broke out in Lucknow.
But this park is not the only place in Uttar Pradesh to have its flag back on the mast. The state has nearly two dozen of them --six in Prayagraj, three in Lucknow, two in Gorakhpur, one in Varanasi, one in Kanpur, and in several other cities.
Most of the monumental flags were not hoisted since MarchApril. They commonly get damaged due to strong winds and have to be replaced frequently. However, during Covid times, replacement was hampered. Several of them have now been re-hoisted. The remaining ones would begin fluttering by August 15.
The flag at Charbagh railway station is set to be back in all its glory on the I-Day. “It will be hoisted on I-Day,” said Sanjay Tripathi, divisional railway manager (DRM), Lucknow Division, Northern Railway (NR).
In UP, these flags are being mostly managed either by municipalities, development authorities or the railways.
All these kingsize flags in the state came up after the first one at the JMP was installed in 2015.
These flags are either made of parachute fabric or 100% knitted polyester fabric with reinforced super-strong nylon webbing on three sides and roped/toggled
sleeves with eyelets on one side (for hoisting). Officials managing the flags have also learnt a lesson from Covid times about maintaining a stock of spare flags. “We now ensure that we have at least spare 10 flags,” an official said.
North Eastern (NE) Railway had also established such flags at Manduadih, Chhapra, Ballia and Gorakhpur. Pankaj Kumar, chief public relation officers, NER, said: “Three of the four flags are in place.”
Lucknow Municipal Corporation (LMC) maintains the flag at Jhandewala Park, Aminabad. Installed in 2018, the flag post is 105 foot tall. Municipal Commissioner Indramani Tripathi said, “The 600 square foot flag is weather-proof polyester fabric and we have two sets of flags. It takes over four hours to hoist a flag on a high mast.”
Prayagraj got six monumental flags in the run-up to Kumbh2019. Flag masts of 100-foot height were erected.On August 11, four flag masts were bare. Prayagraj municipal commissioner Ravi Ranjan said Prayagraj
Nagar Nigam will ensure that the tricolour is unfurled at all places in the city limits on Independence Day. Wing Commander Shailendra Pandey, public relations officer (defence), Prayagraj, said the flag atop the Akbar Fort will be unfurled on August 15.
Junior Chamber International (JCI) manages the flag at Gorakhpur University.
“Chief minister Yogi Adityanath had inaugurated this one in June 2018. We have just hoisted a new flag ahead of the I-Day,” said Naveen Palriwal, JCI Gorkahpur secretary. The 60 x 35-foot flag at Kanpur’s Phoolbagh was re-installed on Tuesday.
WHAT THE NORMS SAY
Shobha Mishra, head of the department of history at Navyug Girls PG College, says: “By definition, a monumental flag is the one whose flag post is a minimum 100 feet high. Only such flags are permitted by the flag code to fly 24x7 while a national flag on a pole below 100 feet has to be hoisted after sunrise and lowered before sunset each day.”