At 380 feet, Meerut set to have country’s tallest tricolour

MEERUT: Meerut – the city from where the 1857 revolt had started – is set to get India’s tallest tricolour at the height of 380 feet. The pole of the flag, which will be hoisted in an inauguration ceremony in March in Meerut’s Waleedpur village, has been erected in the village by the members of Shri Paramdham Nyas – a city-based social organisation – at Arihantpur. At present, the country’s tallest flag is hoisted at the India-Pakistan border in Attari at a height of 360 feet.

“Initially, we had plans to erect a 307-foot tricolour because the highest Indian flag by that time was in Jharkhand’s Ranchi at 293 feet. But then the Indian flag at India-Pakistan border in Attari was erected at 360 feet in March 2017. This is why we thought of increasing the height of the flag to 380 feet. Apart from the flag, which will be hoisted in a piece of 35 bigha land that the organisation owns. Besides, a gallery with statues and details of our freedom fighters will also be established there,” said Satish (who goes by his first name), media coordinator, Shri Paramdham Nyas.

The organisation members claim that funds of nearly Rs 2 crore are being spent for the entire project, which was first thought of two years ago. “We went from door to door to collect funds for the entire project. Also, our volunteers and members also contributed for the Indian flag,” said Nitin Kumar, vice president, Shri Paramdham Nyas.

The 35 bigha complex will also have an Indian map-themed garden. The flagpole will also have India’s national emblem at its top.

Satish said, “Meerut is the city from where the 1857 revolt started and we thought of having the tallest flag in the country at the place from where revolt had begun. This will also act as a tourist spot.”

The flag will be hoisted on either February 27, the death anniversary of Chandrashekhar Azad, or March 23, the death anniversary of Bhagat Singh.

Presently, the 360-foot-high flag post at the Indo-Pak Attari Border, just a stone’s throw from Pakistan, measures 110 metres in height, 24 metres in width and 55 tons in weight. Built at an approximate cost of Rs 3.5 crore, the post was a project of the Amritsar Improvement Trust Authority of the Punjab government. It attracts hundreds of tourists every day.