NEW DELHI (Web Desk) – India says it is planning to put up a 350-feet national flag near the Attari-Wagah Joint Check Post (JCP) by next year.
The flag will be visible from the Pakistani city of Lahore too, according to a report in The Indian Express.
The move is part of the expansion plans of Border Security Force (BSF) for the visitors’ gallery at the site of the iconic Retreat ceremony, said Ashok Kumar Yadav, the officiating Inspector General of BSF’s Punjab Frontier.
Amritsar and Lahore are approximately 18 km away from the international border.
“At that height, the flag would have to be proportionately sized, therefore it would also be the largest Tricolour. There is an intense atmosphere of patriotism during the Retreat ceremony, and the crowds are highly charged. The flag will serve as a beacon for them,” Yadav told The Indian Express.
At present the largest national flag is in Jharkhand’s capital Ranchi. The 293-feet flag was hoisted by Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar in January but was later brought down for repairs.
BSF officials said a platform would be raised on which the flag’s mast will be installed at the border and CCTV cameras will also be installed around it.
Officials say the material to be used for the flag is also being discussed because at such heights it may get damaged by rain and high winds.
