Assam on Tuesday observed Mahatma Gandhi’s 150th birth anniversary with a formal inauguration of the third tallest national flag in the country at Gandhi Mandap here, a move which the BJP-led government asserted would not only boost the “self-pride of our people” but would also draw tourists.

A 120x80-foot Tricolour fluttering atop Sarania hill was formally hoisted on a 319.5 feet (97.4 metres) flagpole and dedicated to the people of Assam by chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal.

“Today, the self-pride of the people of Assam touched a new high with the hoisting of the third tallest flag of the country at Gandhi Mandap,” the chief minister said.

The tallest flag of the country is in Karnataka and the second tallest at Attari border of Punjab at 360 feet.

“It is our Bapuji who paved the path for the kind of self-pride we are feeling today. His contribution and sacrifice for the country have given us the opportunity to work hard in building India as one of the strongest nations in the world. Under the able leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, we are working hard on this vision,” he said.

Sonowal added the government was contemplating to construct “signature structure/postcard structure” in each hill of the city to enable the administration and the city dwellers to preserve the sanctity of hill areas and discourage encroachment.

Minister for industries and commerce Chandra Mohan Patowary also graced the occasion along with cabinet colleagues Atul Bora, Parimal Suklabaidya and Keshab Mahanta and Rajya Sabha MP Biswajit Daimary.

“People from all corners of the state and across the country from now will visit Gandhi Mandap to witness this pride. It is a boost to the self-pride of our people. This spot has become a tourist destination. Even before the formal flag-hoisting, many people from across the state visited the site to see the trial run of flag-hoisting on September 24 and 28. People stayed till late night,” Patowary said. The hoisting of the flag missed the August 15 deadline. October 2 was the new deadline.

On Tuesday morning Sonowal, in his official tweet, wrote that he was feeling invigorated while standing beneath India’s third tallest national flag. The height of the Tricolour from average ground level of Guwahati city is 718.3 feet (218.94 metres).

Earlier, the managing director of Guwahati Smart City Ltd (GSCL), Siddharth Singh, said: “There is a provision of aviation obstruction light and lightning arrester for which the flag will attract attention of the people from all corners of the city. Apart from this, the flag is also illuminated by 20 narrow-beaming bulbs.”

The Gandhi Mandap project is funded by the state industries department and is executed by the Bajaj Electricals Ltd under the Guwahati Smart City. The total project cost is Rs 2.92 crore which includes an operations and maintenance for a period of one year.

The refurbishment of the project that started in April this year is yet to be completed.

“The remaining work will require at least two months,” Singh said.