New Delhi: The three popular islands of Andaman and Nicobar — Ross Island, Neil Island and Havelock Island — are set to get new names on Sunday during PM Modi's visit. The prime minister will arrive in Port Blair to mark the 75th anniversary of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose's historic visit to the territory's capital, where the latter hoisted the national flag.
"The government has decided to rename Ross Island as Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Island, Neil Island as Shahid Dweep and Havelock Island as Swaraj Dweep as a tribute to Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose. It will be announced along with other plans for the islands during PM's visit," a home ministry official was quoted as saying by a leading national daily earlier.
A month ago, West Bengal BJP vice-president Chandra Kumar Bose, who is related to the freedom fighter, had written to the prime minister, urging him to rename the Andaman and Nicobar Islands as the 'Shaheed and Swaraj Islands'.
Bose had hoisted the national flag at the then Gymkhana Ground (now Netaji Stadium) in Port Blair on December 30, 1943 and announced that Andaman and Nicobar islands were the first Indian territory to be freed. The islands at the time were captured by the Japanese during World War II.
The freedom fighter had named Andaman Island as Shaheed and Nicobar Island as Swaraj and appointed INA general A D Loganathan as its governor.
PM Modi will visit the islands along with home minister Rajnath Singh. The two would hoist a 150 metre-high flag at Port Blair, apart from releasing a commemorative stamp and coin on the occasion.
Comments
0 comment