Seminar by FANS at JNRM LG, others highlight Isles development & security importance Port Blair, Dec. 29: A seminar on ‘Development and Security of A&N Islands’, organized under the aegis of Forum for Awareness of National Security (FANS) held at the JNRM auditorium here today, discussed threadbare the vulnerability of these Islands from the point of view of security as also the strategic importance of this territory. The Lt Governor, Lt Gen A K Singh (Retd), was the chief guest of the seminar. The Member of Parliament, Shri Bishnu Pada Ray was the guest of honour while Shri Indresh Kumar, Member, National Executive, RSS was the main speaker. Addressing the gathering in the function, the Lt Governor dwelt at length on the security concerns as well as the strategic importance of these Islands. He said “we are strategically important because we dominate Bay of Bengal as well as the sea lanes of communication that go from the West to the East through the Mallacan Straits”. The Lt Governor said that these Islands also assume significance from the economic point of view as we have almost 1/4th of India’s coastline and have 30% of EEZ. The Lt. Governor observed that apart from the security challenges Andaman and Nicobar also faces a number of other challenges. In the first instance, the Islands lie in seismic zone V where 80-90 earthquakes take place every year. The Lt. Governor said poor telecommunication connectivity is another challenge that we are facing in the Islands. He said “we are at the moment on Satellite connectivity and are having around 345 mbps as bandwidth which is barely 5-10% of what we require”. He informed the gathering that the Govt. of India has agreed in principal to the proposal of the Administration regarding laying of Under Sea Cable. As against the present bandwidth, the Island is poised to get 1 Gbps bandwidth in about 3-4 months, which will augment the internet connectivity for the time being, through 8-10 extra transponders. The Lt. Governor during the speech also touched upon some major developments which have taken place or are in the pipeline. He said, while Port Blair-Car Nicobar chartered flight is already operating, the chartered flight on Chennai-Port Blair route is ready for take-off on Jan 3, 2015. Besides, the Veer Savarkar Airport. The Lt. Governor said that the Disaster Management network in the Islands has also been strengthened. “It is true that we cannot prevent natural disasters but its impact can be minimized by making a synergized effort. We have proved this during cyclone ‘Phailin’, as the situation following the cyclone was brought back to normalcy within 3 days of its occurrence”. The Lt. Governor said tourism and fisheries are the two key sectors, which if exploited in the right earnest, can improve the economy of Islands. In tourism, we are focussing on our unique brand, which is sustainable and eco-friendly. The Lt Governor also impressed upon the need for a Sainik School here. He urged upon the FANS functionaries to take initiative in this regard. Speaking on the occasion, Shri Indresh Kumar the main speaker, dwelt at length on the history of these Islands. He recalled that scores of freedom fighters laid down their lives for freeing our motherland. He paid obeisance to all those who fell for the independence of the country. Shri Indresh Kumar also touched upon the issue of female foeticide, dowry, domestic violence and similar other evils of our society and urged the people to condemn them unequivocally. He also spoke elaborately on the religio-socio-economic aspects of our country. Shri Indresh Kumar expressed happiness and said that it was Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose, who celebrated the country’s independence first by hoisting the Indian tri-colour at the historic Netaji Stadium on 30 December 1943. During his elaborate speech, Shri Kumar also touched upon other issues such as infiltration, religious harmony, human psychology etc. He also appreciated the Lt. Governor for his proactive approach towards all-round development of A&N Islands. He said, these Islands should be appropriately known as Shaheed-Swaraj group of Islands as named by Netaji. He was of the view that every Indian should visit these Islands as a pilgrimage which will be a true tribute to our freedom fighters. Shri Indresh spoke at length about the values of life, about our identity as Indians, as also about various issues afflicting our society, drawing repeated applause and appreciation from the large audience. The Member of Parliament, Shri Bishnu Pada Ray spoke briefly about the contributions made by the freedom fighters. The MP said during the time of Netaji’s visit to the islands, a handful of people of the islands generously contributed and handed over Rs.10, 000 to Netaji for the cause of freedom struggle. He also highlighted the major role played by Shri Indresh in Kashmir after the recent floods. Earlier, in his welcome address, the President, FANS, Air Marshal (Dr) RC Bajpai (Retd) briefed about the activities of FANS and highlighted on various challenging issues pertaining to the security of the country. He mentioned that infiltration from neighbouring countries is a matter of concern. Opining that the sea coasts of the country should be secured, he said consistent surveillance of the vast coast needs to be stepped up. He called upon the citizens of the islands to remain more alert regarding any suspicious activities sighted by them, for the security of the islands. On the occasion, prominent citizens such as Shri Pratap Singh, who participated in the freedom struggle and was also part of Azad Hind Fauj, Shri Hari Narayan Arora, a prominent citizen of the Islands and Shri A.K Linga Velu, social worker were felicitated by the dignitaries. Earlier, the programme began with the lighting of a lamp by the dignitaries and the rendition of ‘Vande Mataram’ song by students of KV-1.
Posted on: Tue, 30 Dec 2014 12:12:15 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015