The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) and the New Delhi Municipal Committee (NDMC) have issued directives to carefully remove flags and banners featuring images of Lord Ram and Hanuman, which were displayed to adorn city streets in celebration of the consecration ceremony of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya, an official said on Wednesday.
According to the Chamber of Trade and Industry (CTI), an umbrella organisation representing approximately 800 trade associations in Delhi, around 10 lakh flags were placed across 700 markets in the capital during the Ram Lalla ‘pran pratishtha’ ceremony, reported PTI.
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An official from the MCD stated, “We have directed all sanitation officers to keep a check on such posters/banners and dispose of them with dignity to ensure that no sentiments are hurt.” In response to inquiries about the expected completion of the process, the official stated that the work is being conducted with the necessary urgency.
The New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) has similarly directed market associations in their respective areas to respectfully remove decorative items and dispose of them following established protocols. “We have directed the market associations to respectfully take down the flags and items that were put up by the market associations,” the official mentioned.
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Sanjeev Mehra, the president of the Khan Market Traders’ Association, mentioned that they had displayed 150 flags and approximately 2,000 meters of danglers for the occasion. He stressed the association’s commitment to environmental friendliness and sustainability, noting that all decorative materials were made of cloth. Mehra added, “We have taken them down, preserved them in transparent bags and kept them at the store. We will use them next year when January 22 arrives.”
Furthermore, Rakesh Kumar Yadav, the president of the Federation of Sadar Bazar Trade Association, shared plans to remove all flag posters and items bearing Lord Ram’s name and image after the Republic Day celebrations. They plan to donate these flags to temples and ashrams, with damaged flags being appropriately buried in the soil.
The Trade Association has made a public announcement to ensure that fallen flags or any other decorative items bearing Lord Ram’s picture are handled with care until they are taken down. Simultaneously, the CTI has formed a team of traders in all markets to responsibly take down the flags in their respective areas. The traders association has initiated a campaign to carefully remove flags and banners and store them safely.
“The ‘pran pratishtha’ utsav of Ram Lalla has been completed now. Now, there is a need to save these sacred flags, which can fall due to wind,” the CTI said in a statement.”If these flags can be used in future, then preserve them, otherwise dispose of them as worship material,” it added.
The ‘pran pratishtha’ ceremony of Ram Lalla took place in Ayodhya on January 22 in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
(With PTI Inputs)