It took several months of planning and over five weeks of actual execution to attain the fluttering heights that Ranchi will boast on Saturday when Union defence minister Manohar Parrikar hoists the world's tallest and largest Tricolour beside Pahari Mandir.
Mecon, a public sector undertaking under the ministry of steel, whose engineers undertook the challenging task to raise the 81.5-metre flag mast on Ranchi Hill, said the pole was designed to withstand natural inclemency, including gale winds and the bolt from the blue.
The 26-tonne mast also boasts special lighting on its tip to warn aircraft.
Engineer J.K. Jha of Mecon, who designed the mast, told The Telegraph that the project involved a technology that would not harm the ecology of Ranchi Hill in any way.
"We undertook extensive exercises, including elaborate soil-testing, to decide how to install such a lofty structure and ensure safety at the same time. We zeroed in on the terra-nailing process," Jha, an alumnus of IIT-Kanpur, said.
Terra-nailing, in layman's language, would mean nailing something on the soil surface.
The Mecon mast rises atop a solid pedestal, which is 2.5 metres in diameter and weighs 250 tonnes. This plinth has rock anchors at 10 places, which are vantage points 25 metres below the base.
A lightning arrester is fitted to the top of the mast that is again lit up with 20 vapour lights and a red warning lamp for aviation convenience. Since the weight of the 99-feet-long and 66-feet-wide flag is around 70kg, it will be hoisted mechanically.
An iron cable, connected to a 5HP motor and a switch, completes the system. "Around 50 workers worked for 40 days to finish the project," Jha said.
While Mecon planned the project, engineers of private firm Urmila RCP Projects executed the same.
Sanjay Kumar Singh, an engineer of Urmila RCP, said three more people played a crucial role in the project.
"Rajeev Kumar of Mecon, and Armanuddin and Ahmed Ansari of my company devoted much of their time to make the plan successful," he said, adding that they calculated wind speed and gauged various other factors with clinical precision.
