NEW DELHI: The Centre has decided to rename
Port Blair
as
Sri Vijaya Puram
, in a move aimed at shedding the
colonial legacy
associated with the former and to recognise Andaman and Nicobar Islands’ contribution to the Indian
freedom struggle
.
Announcing the decision via his ‘X’ handle on Friday, home minister Amit Shah posted: “Inspired by the vision of PM @narendramodi Ji, to free the nation from the colonial imprints, today we have decided to rename Port Blair as ‘Sri Vijaya Puram’.
While the earlier name had a colonial legacy, Sri Vijaya Puram symbolises the victory achieved in our freedom struggle and the A&N Islands’ unique role in the same.”
Recalling the island territory’s “unparalleled place in our freedom struggle and history”, Shah said it had once served as the naval base of the Chola Empire and is “today poised to be the critical base for our strategic and development aspirations”.
“It is also the place that hosted the first unfurling of our Tiranga by
Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose
Ji and also the cellular jail in which Veer Savarkar Ji and other freedom fighters struggled for an independent nation,” he added.
The decision to give an Indian name to the Andaman and Nicobar capital follows nearly six years after the Centre, in a move to honour Netaji Bose, renamed three islands of the Union territory. While Ross Island was rechristened as Subhash Chandra Bose Dweep (island), Neil Island was renamed Shaheed Dweep and Havelock Island as Swaraj Dweep.
Announcing the Centre’s decision during a visit to Port Blair on December 30, 2018, Modi recalled that the “Prime Minister of the Azad Hind government Subhash Babu had made India’s independence resolution on the soil of Andaman”.
On January 23 last year, coinciding with the birth anniversary of Netaji Bose that is celebrated as Parakram Diwas — the Centre went a step further and named 21 largest unnamed islands of Andaman and Nicobar after 21 Param Vir Chakra awardees.
