Uttarakhand CM Dhami welcomes Centre's decision to rename Port Blair as 'Sri Vijaya Puram'

Dehradun (Uttarakhand) [India], September 13 (ANI): Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami welcomed the central government's decision to rename Port Blair, the capital city of Andaman and Nicobar Islands, as 'Sri Vijaya Puram' on Friday.
In a post on X, CM Dhami said that the renaming is dedicated to highlighting the historical importance of the Union Territory and commended the efforts to free the country from "symbols of slavery."
"The decision of the Central Government under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to change the name of Port Blair to 'Sri Vijaya Puram' is extremely welcome. The naming of Sri Vijayapuram is dedicated to highlighting the historical importance and glorious traditions of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. The efforts to free the country from the symbols of slavery is commendable," he said.
"This area has been a witness to the historic moment of hoisting of the tricolour flag by Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose as well as the struggle of Veer Savarkar and other freedom fighters," the Chief Minister added.

आदरणीय प्रधानमंत्री श्री @narendramodi जी के नेतृत्व में केंद्र सरकार द्वारा पोर्ट ब्लेयर का नाम परिवर्तित कर "श्री विजयपुरम" रखने का निर्णय अत्यंत स्वागत योग्य है।

श्री विजयपुरम नामकरण, अंडमान और निकोबार द्वीप समूह के ऐतिहासिक महत्व को उजागर करने और गौरवमयी परंपराओं को समर्पित…

— Pushkar Singh Dhami (@pushkardhami) September 13, 2024

Calling it a move inspired by PM Modi's vision to free the nation from the colonial imprints, Union Home Minister Amit Shah announced the renaming through a post on X earlier in the day.
Shah also highlighted the historic importance of the UT and said that it has an "unparalleled place" in freedom struggle and history.
"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 wrote in his post.
"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. 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. (ANI)