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Centre renames Port Blair as Sri Vijaya Puram
Home minister Amit Shah said the name ‘Sri Vijaya Puram’ symbolises the victory achieved in our freedom struggle and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands’ unique role in it
The Centre has decided to rename Andaman and Nicobar’s capital, Port Blair, as Sri Vijaya Puram, Union home minister Amit Shah announced on Friday, calling it a symbol of the victory achieved in the freedom struggle.
“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,” Shah said on his X account.
“Andaman & Nicobar Islands have an unparalleled place in our freedom struggle and history. The island territory that once served as the naval base of the Chola Empire is today poised to be the critical base for our strategic and development aspirations,” he added.
The home minister further said that “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”.
Earlier, Prime Minister Narendra Modi in January 2023 named 21 large unnamed islands in Andaman and Nicobar after Param Vir Chakra awardees.
Located on the east coast of South Andaman Island, Port Blair (Sri Vijaya Puram) is the gateway to more than 500 pristine islands. It is also a commercial hub and houses government establishments of Andaman and Nicobar Islands. The capital offers water-based activities like snorkeling, scuba diving, sea cruises for the tourists.
