Hyderabad: President Draupadi Murmu who is in the city as part of the five-day annual southern sojourn inaugurated multiple tourist attractions at the Rashtrapati Nilayam on Saturday.
A replica of the flag post on which the tricolor was first hoisted on 17 September 1948 after the liberation of the Princely State of Hyderabad was inaugurated by the President. The original flag post which was in a dilapidated state was dismantled in 2010.
The replica is made up of teak wood and is divided into three parts – two 15-meter square sections, and a six-meter circular section – each reinforced with SS plates and copper hoops. While ten foundations have been reused, four new stone foundations have been added for stability. Four 250W LED focus lights on high posts have been installed at each corner for illumination at night.
Apart from the flag post, a maze garden, children’s park, Shiva and Nandi bull sculptures were also inaugurated. Three restored stepwells – Jai Hind stepwell, Nakshatra stepwell, Chinna Baavi – which will help capture 13 million liters of rainwater annually at Rashtrapati Nilayam premises were also launched, in addition to new enclaves of the knowledge gallery depicting the story of crisis in Hyderabad during the unification of Princely States, Operation Polo, and Liberation of Hyderabad.