A Mahadalit locality at Sultanganj in Bhagalpur where government officials would hoist the Tricolour on August 15. Picture by Amit Kumar

Bhagalpur, Aug. 10: Binod Das, a daily-wager, was ecstatic today when he was promised a gift of clean clothes before the Independence Day. For, the resident of a slum at Sahjanghi locality would now be able to attend the flag-hoisting ceremony near his home.

Das has been searching for clean clothes for the past few days. Since he cannot afford to buy any, he has been requesting families for whom he works to give him apparels they can spare. The homemaker of a house in Sikanderpur, where Das works every Saturday, promised to give him some of her husband’s old clothes.

“Now I can take part in the flag-hosting ceremony, which will be organised for the first time in our slum in the presence of a state minister on August 15,” he said.

Das is not alone. Several residents of slums in urban and semi-urban areas of the state are ecstatic about the decision of the state government to hoist the Tricolour at Mahadalit tolas (localities) on August 15.

“Every year, I used to visit Sandy’s Compound grounds to witness the flag-hosting ceremony on the Independence Day. But this time the district magistrate, along with the Bhagalpur superintendent of police, would be present in our neighbourhood during the flag-hosting ceremony,” Munna Kumar, a resident of Babupur in Sabour, told The Telegraph.

Children of Ravidas Tola under Kahalgaon sub-division in the district have also started to rehearse patriotic songs they would sing at the Independence Day ceremony.

Narmadeshwar Lal, the district magistrate of Bhagalpur, said: “Around 440 Mahadalit tolas have been identified in the district, where the Tricolour would be unfurled under the supervision of the minister-in-charge of the district, the local MLA or a senior administrative officer of the district. Senior residents of the tolas have been selected to hoist the flag. Officers concerned and people’s representatives of the neighbourhoods would supervise the ceremony.”

Lal and Bhagalpur senior superintendent of police Sanjay Singh would supervise the flag-hosting ceremony at the special education centre at Babupur in Sabour. A senior resident of the area, Chunchun Das, would hoist the flag.

Das and his neighbours would have the company of the state agriculture minister Narendra Singh, also the minister in charge of Bhagalpur. Singh would supervise the ceremony and Sakichand Das, a resident of the neighbourhood, would hoist the flag.

“This is the first time that a minister will visit our area. We hope it will help in the development of the locality,” said Lakshmi Devi, a resident of the area.

Chhotu Kumar, a Class IV student who lives nearby, said: “We will enjoy a lot as police uncles will give us jalebis.”

Residents of the slums are also hopeful that they would be able to tell the visiting officers and ministers about the problems of their neighbourhood.

“No senior officer has visited our area for long. This is the first time that a sub-divisional officer would come here. We hope the officer will understand our problems when he visits the area,” said Bhushan Kumar, a resident of Ravidas Tola at Salampur.