Guardian minister Subhash Desai will fund the Rs 12-lakh project from his MLA development kitty.Amid a show of symbolism and patriotism by political parties, the Shiv Sena, which rules the BMC, has proposed installation of a 150-foot-tall national flag at the Gateway of India. The project will cost nearly Rs 12 lakh.The giant tricolour is the brainchild of senior Sena leader and city’s guardian minister Subhash Desai. Based on his request, civic officials have prepared a proposal, which will be put up before the heritage committee for clearance on Tuesday.“Gateway is a tourist attraction and the Indian flag should be there at every major public place. We wanted ships and ferries coming to Mumbai to be able to see the flag from far,” said Desai, who will fund the project from his MLA development kitty.At 225 feet, the city’s tallest Indian flag is installed at the headquarters of the Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation. A few more high-mast tricolours have been unfurled at Bandra, Mumbai University and Raj Bhavan (150 feet).According to an estimate by a private firm and accepted by the BMC, the design and construction of the flag mast will cost about Rs 12.02 lakh. While the pole will be 150-foot tall, the size of the flag will be of 30ft x 45ft. It will come up near the Shivaji statue at Gateway.With the Gateway precincts being a heritage corridor, the proposal will need to be cleared by the 10-member heritage committee.The flag will be another addition to extravagant projects like the midsea Shivaji memorial spearheaded by the Shiv Sena.Dr Rajiv Mishra, director of Directorate of Arts and a member of the committee, said they will need to check the relevance of the location. “If the only reason is for ferries to be able to see it, then they could also consider other locations like the Radio Club. Besides, the flag might overshadow the statue. There is barely any space in that garden to accommodate people for ceremonies.”Another committee member, who did not wish to be identified, termed the proposal a waste of public money. “We don’t see the relevance of the flag at Gateway. Why spend lakhs of rupees on it anyway? That money can be put to better use, for example, by constructing public toilets.”Even if the heritage committee shoots down the proposal, sources said, the Sena-ruled BMC will try its best get it cleared. “The municipal commissioner can override the decision of the heritage committee. With the request coming from the guardian minister, it is almost certain that the project will sail through,” said a source.Once all the permissions are in place, Desai said, installing the flag will take about two weeks. “I’m hopeful that it will be ready before January 26.”