Kolkata, Aug 2026 : The Syama Prasad Mookerjee Port Authority (SMPA) on Friday hoisted the Indian national flag atop a 60-metre-high flagmast at its historic Netaji Subhas Dock in Kolkata as part of the Har Ghar Tiranga initiative.
Standing nearly 197 feet tall, the permanent flagmast carries a 30 ft × 20 ft Tricolour, making it one of the tallest national flags in the city. The towering flag is expected to become a prominent landmark along Kolkata’s historic port landscape.
A senior SMPA official said the initiative reflects the port authority’s commitment to the spirit of Har Ghar Tiranga and seeks to promote the values of national pride, unity and collective responsibility towards building a Viksit Bharat.
“The Tricolour flying high over the historic docks symbolises the enduring contribution of the Kolkata port to India’s maritime heritage and nation-building,” the official said.
The flagmast has been designed as a permanent installation with a service life of 25 years. It consists of a continuously tapered, hot-dip galvanised, 20-sided polygonal shaft made of high-tensile steel. The structure is supported by a reinforced cement concrete bored cast-in-situ pile foundation.
Officials said the national flag will be raised and lowered using a motorised double-drum winch system, ensuring smooth and efficient operation.
The installation also adds a new feature to one of India’s most historically significant maritime locations. Kolkata Port, the country’s oldest operational riverine major port, officially began operations in 1870. The new flagmast has been installed beside the historic clock tower, which was erected in 1899 to assist ships arriving at the port.
The clock tower predates Netaji Subhas Dock, which was commissioned in 1928 as King George’s Dock and renamed Netaji Subhas Dock in 1973. The dock also played an important role during World War II, when personnel and equipment were transported through it for the “Over the Hump” operations in the China-Burma-India theatre.
Today, Netaji Subhas Dock is a major maritime and logistics hub with 10 berths, including a heavy-lift berth. Its facilities include four dedicated container berths, a liquid cargo berth, four multipurpose berths and two buoys or moorings.
The dock’s two dry docks are currently used by Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers (GRSE) Ltd for vessel repair and refit operations.
The dock system is connected to the Hooghly River through a 90-foot lock, which regulates the movement of water into the berths. Netaji Subhas Dock serves as an important container gateway for India’s hinterland, including the northern and northeastern states, besides facilitating cargo movement to the landlocked neighbouring countries of Nepal and Bhutan.
