Port Blair, Feb 20 (PTI) President Droupadi Murmu on Tuesday visited Campbell Bay and Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Island in Andaman and Nicobar Islands and went to Indira Point, India’s southernmost tip.
The President’s visit to Campbell Bay holds significance due to its proximity to the Strait of Malacca, one of the most important shipping routes in the world.
During her two-and-a-half-hour visit to Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Island, previously known as Ross Island, Murmu went to a Japanese Bunker built during World War II and the Smritika Museum of the Indian Navy.
The President was told that a portion of Cellular Jail in Port Blair was damaged during World War II and the bunker was made with the bricks of the prison by the Japanese Army to defeat the allied powers which include Britain.
She also witnessed a 48-minute light and sound show on India’s freedom struggle Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Island.
Renowned historian of the archipelago Dr Pronob Kumar Sircar accompanied the President as her official guide during her tour to Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Island.
Speaking to PTI, Sircar said, “The President showed keen interest in the history of the island and visited all the historical installations.” Earlier in the day, Murmu visited Campbell Bay by a service aircraft.
INS Baaz, a full-fledged forward operating base of the Indian Naval Air Arm, is stationed at the island and its officers welcomed the President.
It overlooks the Strait of Malacca as well as the Six Degree Channel between Great Nicobar and the Indonesian island of Sumatra.
The visit of the President to Campbell Bay is considered important as the Straits of Malacca is one of the key shipping routes in the world from both economic and strategic viewpoints, as it is the shortest shipping channel between the Indian Ocean and the Pacific Ocean, connecting major economies like China, Japan, Middle East and South Korea.
Murmu was also taken to Indira Point, the southernmost tip of the Indian territory, in an MI-17 helicopter.
She had an interaction with the defence personnel and she was briefed about the geostrategic importance of Indira Point.
The President also attended a tribal cultural event. PTI SN NN
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