ATTARI: After a considerable wait, the Indian national flag was ceremoniously raised atop the nation’s tallest flagpole, situated on the Attari-Wagah border with Pakistan, by Union minister for road transport and highways Nitin Gadkari on Thursday.
The Indian flagpole in Attari is 18 feet taller than its Pakistan counterpart in neighbouring Wagah. While the Pakistani flagpole reaches a height of 400 feet, the Indian flagpole is 418 feet in height.
Gadkari along with Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann, Congress MP Gurjit Singh Aujla, and others pressed the button to unfurl the tricolour.
Earlier, Gadkari landed at the helipad at Attari, where he was received by Land Port Authority of India manager Satish Dharani, who also apprised him about cross-border trade in the region.
The flagpole, erected by the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI), was constructed for Rs 3.5 crore. It is mounted on a four-foot pedestal.
In contrast, Pakistan installed its flagpole on the Wagah border to commemorate its 70th Independence Day on August 14, 2017.
The Pakistan flag can be seen up to 9km inside India. On Thursday, the atmosphere was notably different at the Attari border, as locals displayed great enthusiasm and pride in witnessing the event.
A local farmer, Narinder Singh, said they had for long been seeing the Pakistani flag, but now the tricolour would fly above it. “Our tiranga (tricolour) has dwarfed all,” he added.
After inaugurating the flag, Gadkari said, “It is the golden day of my life. I have come to the Attari-Wagah border for the first time. NHAI has installed the tallest national flag here. This is a place that inspires you to be patriotic.”





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