Pathanamthitta: The sales of the Indian National Flag through post offices and the website of the Department of Posts have met with mixed responses. Many who purchased the flags at the post offices here alleged they were of substandard quality.
Sale of inferior quality flag amounts to a violation of the Flag Code of India, 2002, which is a set of laws, practices, and conventions that apply to the display of the National Flag in public places, a complaint in this regard said.
The National Flag can be of any size, but the length-to-width ratio should be 3:2. The National Emblem (the Lion Capital of Ashoka at Sarnath) should be exactly in the middle of the flag, and the three colours should be displayed equally. However, the National Flag made available at the Post offices have not adhered to many of these conditions, the complaint further stated.
Another order of the Postal Department says only tricolours made of cotton and Khadi should be hoisted during the Independence Day celebrations. However, the ones sold at post offices are not made out of these material.
It also alleged top officials were compelling the Post Office employees to purchase the flags by spending money out of their pockets if the same were not sold off. As several poor quality flags remained unsold, the higher officials had directed the employees to sell the entire stock by August 12.
Complaints in this regard have been lodged before Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnav and India Post Secretary Vineeth Pande. (Vaishnav is the Minister for Railways, Communications, Electronics & Information Technology.)
The "Har Ghar Tiranga" campaign of the central government encourages Indians to hoist the Tricolour at houses and establishments between August 13 and 15.
The Department of Posts is selling the flag at a cost of Rs 25. It blamed the company which took up the flag-making order for the shoddy work.
