India’s tallest flag, hoisted close to the Wagah border, has been replaced four times by authorities after it was repeatedly torn down by gusty winds, The Guardian reported on Thursday.
The 360-feet-high flag was hoisted close to the border early March so 'it could be seen from as far away as Lahore'.
However, the trust responsible for managing the site is now questioning whether the $539,232 landmark has been too high a price to pay for patriotism, the British publication added.
The flag complements an existing 51-metre high flag on the Indian side, hoisted in a public park, which has reportedly needed replacing 14 times since it was first raised.
“Both these flags have set new standards in cost and the patriotism cost is just too high here,” Suresh Mahajan, chairman of the Amritsar Improvement Trust, which is responsible for their maintenance, told the Hindustan Times.
Mahajan claims that around $2,314 have been spent on replacing both flags so far and expressed fears that his trust would not be able to keep up the maintenance of the two monuments for long.
“People behind installing the flags should have examined the flag material as it is failing to withstand the wind flow,” Mahajan added.
Mahajan also said that minister Anil Joshi, who conceived and unveiled the project, had claimed that the flag would have a dedicated maintenance crew – but no such team was ever established.
“[India’s] national flag is our pride and I request the government to call an inquiry over the issue and those responsible should be punished,” Mahajan told the Hindustan Times.
