Tourism will increase manifold in Andamans due to development of infra: PM

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday said that tourist inflows to Andaman and Nicobar Islands have doubled since 2014 and will increase manifold in the coming years due to the development of infrastructure in the archipelago.

Inaugurating the new integrated terminal building of the Veer Savarkar Airport here, he said that the expansion of the airport was a long-pending demand of locals and tourists alike.

"The new terminal will be able to handle 11,000 passengers and 10 aircraft can be parked at the airport at any given time. More flights and tourists will bring more jobs to the area. The new terminal building will increase ease of travel and doing business, and connectivity," the PM said.

Alleging that the islands were devoid of development for a long time, he said that in the last nine years, the current government has not only rectified the mistakes of past governments with utmost sensitivity but also brought a new model of inclusive development.

"We brought submarine optical cable fibre to the islands and built a medical college in Port Blair. Our government allotted Rs 48,000 crore for the development of the archipelago in the last nine years. This is double of what was spent by the previous government," he said.

Modi said that mobile connectivity, health infrastructure, airport facilities and better roads boost tourism, which is why tourist footfalls to the islands have doubled since 2014.

"The numbers will increase manifold in the coming years," he said.

On the renaming of islands, he said that the tricolour was unfurled in Andaman and Nicobar Islands in 1943 by Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose even before it was unfurled at Red Fort after India got Independence but there were still "signs of slavery".

The PM said that his government removed those "signs of slavery" by renaming Ross Island as Netaji Subhas Island, Havelock Island as Swaraj Island and Neil Island as Shaheed Island, besides naming 21 islands after Param Vir Chakra awardees.

"The development of Andaman and Nicobar Islands has become a source of inspiration for the youth of the country," he added.

Earlier in the day, Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia, who reached the airport, unveiled a statue of V D Savarkar on the premises and took a tour of the establishment.

He was accompanied by Union Minister of State for Road, Transport and Highways and Civil Aviation, General (Retd.) V K Singh.

The building is shaped like a shell, depicting the natural environs of the islands.

The entire terminal will have 100 per cent natural lighting for 12 hours a day which will be achieved through skylights on the roof.

Due to a surge in passenger traffic, the Airports Authority of India (AAI) constructed the NITB at an estimated cost of Rs707.73 crores.

With a total built-up area of 40,837 sq metres, the new terminal building will have the capacity to handle 1,200 passengers during peak hours and around 40 lakh passengers annually.

The three-storey building will be equipped with 28 check-in counters, three passenger boarding bridges and four conveyor belts.