Sale of national flags has been brisk in Tiruchi as the Har Ghar Tiranga campaign, which encourages people to bring home the tricolour and hoist it to commemorate the 75th anniversary of Indian Independence, kicked off on Saturday.
Around 30,000 national flags have been sold through the post offices since the commencement of sale on August 1. “Public response is encouraging and each day we record sales of over 2,000 flags within a few hours of opening the sales counter, causing a shortage,” said A. Govindarajan, Post Master General, Tiruchi Division.
National flags measuring 30 inches x 20 inches without flag poles will be available at ₹25 per piece at all post offices until August 15.
Meanwhile, Tiruchi Corporation has sold more than 1 lakh national flags to residents and commercial establishments in the city. However, they had initially planned to sell 50,000 flags but revised it to 2 lakh after getting a positive response from the residents.
The flags, which measure 18 inches x 12 inches, are priced at ₹21 each and around ₹4 lakh has been spent on procuring them.
According to the residents, the flags distributed by the civic body are much smaller for the cost. “We informed the sanitation worker that we already have a flag when he first approached us to sell them, but he insisted that we buy another. Additionally, the flags are small and pricey for their size,” said Antony Doss, a resident of Karumandapam.
According to an official of the Corporation, the distribution of flags has been planned to foster patriotism among residents. No one is compelled to buy them.
Besides delivering flags, the workers are engaged in a campaign to reach out to various sections of people, including street vendors and schoolchildren, he said.
