‘Flag war’ with Pak on cards as India likely to increase height of Tricolour at Attari border
: The Indian authorities are likely to increase the height of the Tricolour installed at the Attari border from 360 to 410 feet before reopening the Beating Retreat ceremony for spectators, a move that may result in an intensified flag war with Pakistan.
The ceremony was suspended in March last year in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic outbreak with the neighbouring country following the suit on the Wagah side.
The National Highway Authority of India (NHAI), which is carrying out beautification and plantation work outside the Swarna Jayanti Dwar of the joint check-post (JCP) in Attari near the zero line, has written to the Union home ministry seeking nod for increasing the height of the national flag.
The present 360-foot-high flag was installed in March 2017 at a cost of Rs 3.5-crore. In a titfor-tat move, Pakistan hoisted a taller flag (400 feet) adjacent to the Wagah check-post on the opposite side in August that year.
A senior NHAI official, who didn’t want to be named, said, “We have written to the MHA for increasing the flag height from 360 to 410 feet as development work is undergoing near the international border.” Earlier, the NHAI had written to the Amritsar Improvement Trust managing the present flag for no-objection certificate.
A trust official said they had asked the NHAI and the Border Security Force (BSF) to approach the district administration for shifting or increasing the flag height.
The NHAI has already set up a raised rounded platform opposite the Swarna Jayanti Dwar for shifting the present flag. A BSF official, privy to the development, said, “A taller flag with compatibility to high-velocity winds is likely to be installed at the raised platform before the re-opening of the Beating Retreat ceremony. It has been the demand of thousands of tourists visiting the border.”
It will be the country’s tallest national flag if the MHA gives the go-ahead to increase its height. Currently, the tallest Tricolour (365 feet) is installed at Belagavi in Karnataka.
The Pakistan government reopened its side for spectators two months ago, but India is yet to take a decision on it. The NHAI has constructed two selfie points for spectators who will be able to watch the military drill on both sides. Also, the ground outside the JCP is being covered with grass and colourful tiles.
NHAI’s Amritsar project director Sunil Yadav said, “Our development project is likely to be completed in a month.”