Municipal Commissioner or additional commissioner to take final call

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has made it harder for politicians to put up flag posts at junctions to score political points. It has directed officers to scrutinise such proposals carefully based on the Flag Code of India and only if they deem them fit, forward them to an additional commissioner or the Commissioner, who will take the final call.

The Mumbai Heritage Conservation Committee had given an in-principle approval to the installation of a Tricolour at Gateway of India and another at Cooperage a few months ago. However, it was a preliminary approval, which included shifting the position of the flag post at Gateway. However, the approval to both these flag poles was withdrawn later on the ground that ‘more people will come forward to install such tricolours in public places.’

Although the BMC regularly receives requests to install the Tricolour at traffic junctions, gardens and atop public buildings, internal politics between the Shiv Sena and Bharatiya Janata Party was reportedly at play in the matter.

Subsequently, it was decided to have a policy for installation of such flag posts.

The BMC has now come out with a circular issuing guidelines for such installations. The circular relies on the Flag Code of India that prescribes a set of laws, practices and conventions that apply to the display of the national flag. It stipulates that the flag may be flown atop government/public buildings from sunrise to sunset, and that it is binding for all organisations to follow the provisions contained in this code.

Since the code speaks of public sites as public organisations, the circular states that “private proposals or privately sponsored proposals may not be entertained… as it would entail a great degree of public vigilance. Additionally, such public sites are not listed by the code as places where normally a national flag is sought to be displayed.” Public sites may even be heritage sites, as is the case in south Mumbai.

The circular also notes that such sites may not have round-the-clock security “…and may create fresh issues that stretch the security apparatus of the city.”

Therefore, the circular states that such proposals must be carefully and judiciously scrutinised on the basis of these parameters and the model code, and that administrative approval can be given by the additional commissioner or the Commissioner only.

“The idea is to prevent politicians from haphazardly erecting flag posts anywhere and everywhere. After all, it is a matter of national pride, dignity as well as security. If someone tampers with the flag, it can result in a law and order situation,” said a senior civic official.

The circular is dated March 27, 2019, and has already come into effect.