Dust storm, heavy rain in Delhi damage 200 high-mast tricolours; private agency tasked with maintainence

ADaylight after around 200 high-mast flags were damaged in a monolithic force that come to the subject capital, public works department on Thursday said a private agency will be hired to maintain such flags installed at 500 locations.A fierce hailstorm, heavy rainfall and winds with a speed of 79 kilometres per hour battered Delhi-NCR late on Wednesday evening, claiming three lives, uprooting trees and affecting road transport and air traffic.According to an official, these flags erected on 115-foot-high poles were made out of polyester to prevent them from frequent damage. However, they could not withstand strong winds."We have started replacing the damaged national flags since early morning. Ten teams are on the ground inspecting the condition of the flags. Around 200 flags will need replacement. The work will be completed in the next two days," the official told PTI.The public works department has floated a tender to hire an agency for two years to maintain these large flags with an outlay of ₹27 crore.The installation of large tricolours across the city began in 2022 when the previous AAP government, under its 'Deshbhakti' budget, announced the initiative aimed at generating a sense of nationalism."This is the second time in the last few days that the flags were damaged. Just a few days ago, almost all the flags were wrecked and we replaced them, and now they are damaged again. We plan to soon hire a private company for their maintenance. A tender has been floated," said another official.While installing these flags, the department has taken into cognizance the 2002 Flag Code of India rules that pertain to the laws and practices around the display of the national flag.The tricolours are located at key intersections on main roads to ensure maximum visibility.The private agency that the public works department is planning to hire will be tasked with deploying a team to look after the upkeep of the flags, ensuring that the flag mast, motor and light fixtures are in working condition."The agency will have to ensure that the surroundings are kept clean, free of debris and obstructions," the official said.On Wednesday evening, strong winds and dust storms hit Delhi, with the city's primary weather station in Safdarjung recording wind speeds of 79 kilometres per hour (kmph). The weather stations at Palam reported wind speed at 74 kmph, Pragati Maidan 78 kmph and Pitampura 65 kmph, according to the India Meteorological Department.In the three hours between 5.30 pm and 8.30 pm, Safdarjung recorded 12.2 mm of rainfall. Other stations at Mayur Vihar recorded 13 mm and Pitampura 5 mm of rainfall.