Highest flag-post with the tricolour set to unfurl in Lucknow

Chief minister Akhilesh Yadav’s dream project -- Janeshwar Mishra Park (JMP) -- has several records to its credit. Besides being the biggest park in urban surroundings, it has the tallest statue in the state. Now, it is all set to add another attraction -- the highest monumental flag-post with the tricolour.

Standing 207 feet high, this flag-post is an exact replica of an equally tall flag-pole at Connaught Place in New Delhi. Weighing around 38 kg, this 60 feet wide and 90 feet long tricolour, made from special polyester fabric, is ready for the unfurling ceremony, an appropriate date for which has been sought from the CM. It could be later this month or on November 22, the birthday of Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav, said sources.

The national flag is flown between sunrise and sunset but this rule would not apply to this mammoth tricolour. “The Union ministry of home affairs (MHA) has provided special permission for keeping the flag flying day and night provided the flag-pole is over 100-feet tall and properly illuminated at night,” said an official adding that the flag would be guarded round-the-clock by security cameras and personnel.

Despite being made from a heavy-duty fabric, the vagaries of weather take their toll on the flag because of which it has to be replaced by a new one after every month-and-a-half, revealed an official.

“We will not fly the tricolour at full mast because the pole may not be able to sustain its weight in the event of high winds,” said an official. But at 102 feet, it would be still the highest-flying national flag. To ensure that nothing goes wrong, a government-authorized agency, which undertakes erection of these huge flags all over the country, has been tasked to ensure its upkeep, he added.