A massive national flag has been hoisted at a historic hilltop fort in the heart of Kashmir’s main city Srinagar.
The flag is 24 feet x 36 feet and is visible from most parts of Srinagar city.
The flag has been hoisted atop Koh-e-Maraan Fort – also called Hari Parbat Fort – which was built in 1808 under the reign of Afghan governor Atta Mohammed Khan. The first fortifications on the site were constructed by the Mughal emperor Akbar in 1590 which served as a garrison for Mughal troops.
The construction of a base to host the flag had begun earlier this month and the flag will be officially unfurled by the Lieutenant Governor of Jammu and Kashmir Manoj Sinha on Sunday, which marks India’s 75th Independence Day.
The mast measuring 100 feet for the flag had been brought from Delhi and weighs six tonnes.
Jammu and Kashmir, which was formerly a state, had its own flag – as well as constitution – till it was abrogated in 2019 when New Delhi ended the region’s limited autonomy.
The proposal to hoist the flag at the hilltop fort was made by the Flag Foundation of India and was facilitated by the Jammu and Kashmir administration.
The administration in Jammu and Kashmir has previously directed officers to hoist the Indian national flag inside the premises of government offices and buildings. The government-run schools have also been ordered to hoist the flag.
Earlier this month, the army had hoisted a flag on a 100-feet tall pole at Kashmir’s famed tourist resort of Gulmarg.
