Kolkata port hoists one of the city’s tallest national flags

Kolkata, Aug 14 (IANS) The Syama Prasad Mookerjee Port Authority (SMPA) hoisted the Indian Tricolour on a 60-metre-high flag post at its Netaji Subhas Dock on Friday as part of the Har Ghar Tiranga initiative. At nearly 197 feet, this is one of the highest national flags in the city.

“The towering flagmast carries an imposing 30 ft × 20 ft National Flag, making the Tricolour a prominent new landmark on Kolkata’s historic port landscape. The initiative reflects SMPA’s commitment to the spirit of Har Ghar Tiranga and celebrates the values of national pride, unity and collective commitment towards a Viksit Bharat,” a senior SMPA official said.

He added that the sight of the Tricolour flying high over the historic docks symbolises the enduring contribution of the Kolkata port to India’s maritime heritage and nation‑building.

The flag post is a permanent installation with a design life of 25 years. It comprises a continuously tapered, hot‑dip galvanised, 20‑sided polygonal high‑tensile steel shaft, supported on an RCC bored cast‑in‑situ pile foundation.

Officials said the flag is operated through a motorised double‑drum winch system.

The Kolkata port is the country’s oldest operational riverine major port. It officially started operations in 1870. The flag has been hoisted next to the historic clock tower, installed in 1899 to help arriving ships keep time. The clock tower predates the Netaji Subhas Dock, which was commissioned in 1928 as King George’s Dock and renamed in 1973.

The dock played a major role during World War II, with men and equipment landing there for the “Over the Hump” operations in the China‑Burma‑India theatre. Today, Netaji Subhas Dock has 10 berths, including a heavy-lift berth.

It has four dedicated container berths, a liquid cargo berth, and four multipurpose berths, along with two buoys/moorings. Its two dry docks are presently used by Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers (GRSE) Ltd to refit and repair vessels.

The dock system is connected to the River Hooghly through a 90‑foot lock that controls the flow of water into the berths. Netaji Subhas Dock is a major container hub, handling cargo for the Indian hinterland, including northern and northeastern states, as well as for the landlocked countries of Nepal and Bhutan.

–IANS

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