A large number of people, who thronged the Gandhi Mandap located at Sarania hilltop in Guwahati to be witness of hoisting the national tri-colour of 120×80 ft dimension at a height of 300 ft on the 72nd Independence Day celebration, were hugely disappointed on Wednesday morning.
Also read: Guwahati to have India’s third tallest national flagpole
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No national flag was hoisted on the third tallest flagpole in India on the auspicious occasion.
Interestingly many politicians who had earlier boasted and posted on various social media about the tricolour to be hoisted on the third tallest flagpole in the country on I-Day, removed their posts from their social media account.
Children wearing costumes of tri-colour design holding balloons of saffron, white and green colours returned from Gandhi Mandap without a smile on their faces.
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Locals alleged that the concerned authority did not work sincerely for which people missed the spectacular view on the Independence Day.
Dilip Hazarkia, a resident, said, “The authority started the work late which resulted in non-completion of the construction of the pole and the ground on time. We came here to experience the spectacular view. But, whatever we observed is unfortunate.”
Hazarika also questioned on the sincerity of the officials and workers as well as the Government.
Lakhya Dhar Sarnia, a local, said, “People were excited for this after widespread publicity that Guwahati will have the third tallest flagpole in the country. But, we were disappointed today. The authority may inaugurate the flagpole on Gandhi Jayanti or on another date. But, people waited for this day to be witness of the historic moment in their own city.”
As per information on Wednesday, the date of inauguration of the pole is not decided by the authority.
Northeast Now, though tried to contact Guwahati Smart City Limited officials and GMDA officials for the information on the date to inaugurate the flagpole, did not receive any response.
The Guwahati Smart City Limited (GSCL) authority informed earlier that the Department of Industry and Commerce, Assam financed the budget of Rs 2.91 crore for construction of the flagpole in Guwahati.
The Tata Consulting Engineers Limited has been carrying out the project under the Guwahati Smart City Limited.
An officer on special duty (OSD), GSCL, informed that high strength steel has been used in the pole.
Talking about the possible threat of any damage of the sky high flagpole in future on the adjacent areas on August 13, the OSD said, “We have maintained all the safety measures. There is no threat for the people residing in the adjacent areas of Gandhi Mandap.”
The OSD also said that the pole would be an attraction for tourists.
The Aircraft Warning Lights (high intensity devices that are used as collision avoidance measures) have also been used in the pole.