Guwahati: Engineers of Bajaj Electricals, who are working under the Guwahati Smart City project, are racing against time to erect one of the tallest national flags in the country at Gandhi Mandap here by Independence Day.

"The preparation for installation of a 306ft-tall flag pole is under way. The engineers have so far failed to erect the entire pole despite several attempts. Six parts of the pole have been erected, they are struggling with the remaining three parts," said Pranab Baruah, an official of the Guwahati Smart City Limited (GSCL). "All these poles are to be joined but the engineers are facing problem in alignment. This must be solved by today (Monday)," he added.

Rupak Kumar Mazumdar, chief executive officer of the Guwahati Metropolitan Development Authority, said, "Engineers had completed the first part of the work on Sunday. They are working hard on the second part. Now, we hardly have any time."

It took nearly 10 days to bring the flag pole up to Gandhi Mandap, located on top of Sarania Hill here. The work was also delayed as the vehilce carrying the flag-pole was stuck at Digboi mining field because of floods.

"We wanted to erect it on August 15 but that depends on the chief minister's office. Once we get the clearance from the contractors that everything is done, we can then talk to the chief minister's office," said Mazumdar.

A GSCL official said some development work is left to be done at Gandhi Mandap.