The national tricolour will flutter at a height of 100 feet at the railway station here soon, providing a visual delight to travellers and instilling a sense of national pride among them.
A giant flag pole weighing about 1.5 tonnes has been erected at a vantage point beside the vehicle parking area right in front of the railway station for this purpose.
The South Central Railway (SCR) had embarked on a plan to install the tall flag pole with lighting facility exactly opposite the railway station to hoist the national flag atop it as a symbol of national pride and unity in diversity, sources said.
Around 30 trains pass through the Khammam railway station, one of the major railway stations on the busy Secunderabad-Vijayawada section of the SCR, daily. It handles nearly 13,000 passengers per day.
It has earned a special place in the annals of history as Mahatma Gandhi visited the railway station during the historical Indian independence movement and addressed a meeting here on February 5, 1946.
This fort town already has a 100-foot-tall flag pole with the national tricolour flying high atop it at the Lakaram tank bund. The giant flag pole was installed at the picturesque spot to spread the spirit of patriotism following the initiative of Collector R V Karnan. It was inaugurated on August 15 last year.
When contacted, SCR Engineer Avinash Reddy told The Hindu that plans were afoot to finalise the design for erecting railing and raising a garden around the 100 feet flag pole already installed on a trial basis adjacent to the parking area opposite the main entrance of the railway station.
A concrete pedestal would be constructed to provide a solid foundation for the giant flag pole and a dedicated power supply would be arranged to ensure proper lighting for the tall pole, he said, adding that the whole project was expected to be completed in a few months.