Northeast Frontier Railway to install 41 national flags to promote nationalism

Agartala: The Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) has decided to install national flags at 41 locations by March next year to impart a sense of nationalism and patriotism among passengers, an official said on Thursday.

"The 100-feet tall flags would be installed in 41 places including railway stations located at state capitals, district headquarters and places having historical and tourist importance," NFR Chief Public Relations Officer Subhanan Chanda told IANS.

He said two such flags have already been installed at Guwahati (in Assam) and New Jalpaiguri (in West Bengal) railway stations.

The official said the flags are being installed following the directives of the Railway Board for improving the aesthetics of the railway stations and to impart a sense of nationalism and patriotism among the passengers and other rail users.

The NFR, one of the 17 railway zones in India, is responsible for extending rail lines and maintaining train services in seven districts of West Bengal and five districts in north Bihar, besides the eight northeastern states, including Sikkim.

The NFR has been working to extend the railway lines to three more capital cities of northeast states -- Imphal (Manipur), Aizawl (Mizoram) and Kohima (Nagaland) -- by 2020.