Prime Minister Narendra Modi today inaugurated the integrated terminal building of Veer Savarkar International Airport, Port Blair through video conferencing.
Addressing the event, the Prime Minister said that the new terminal building, built at a cost of around 710 crore rupees, will improve the ease of business, and enhance the connectivity in the region. He said, the long-standing demand of the people of Port Blair has now been fulfilled.
Mr Modi said, with this integrated terminal, the airport will be able to handle 11,000 tourists every day. He said, the number of tourists in these Islands had doubled due to development activities undertaken by the government there. Adventure tourism is also thriving and the numbers will rise manifold in the coming years. He added that a budget of about 48 thousand crore rupees has been given for the development of Andaman and Nicobar Islands during past 9 years. Mr Modi said, the government has provided new facilities and avenues to the people.
The Prime Minister said, a new model of development of inclusion has come up in India. He explained that this model of development is very comprehensive and includes the development of every region and every section of society, and every aspect of life such as education, health and connectivity. Mr Modi said, the number of households with piped water has increased to 50,000 today. The Prime Minister added that everyone in Andaman and Nicobar Islands has a bank account, with the facility of One Nation One Ration Card. The government has also made a medical college in Port Blair. He said, the government took the initiative of laying the undersea optical fiber of hundreds of kilometres to enhance connectivity.
The Prime Minister remarked that Andaman is becoming a living and breathing example of the maha-mantra of development and heritage going hand in hand. He expressed gratitude for getting the opportunity to hoist the national flag at the exact same spot where Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose once hoisted the Tiranga. The Prime Minister highlighted that the government renamed Ross Island as Netaji Subhas Island, Havelock Island as Swaraj Island and Neil Island as Shaheed Island. He also touched upon renaming the 21 islands after the Param Vir Chakra awardees. Development of Andaman and Nicobar Islands has become a source of inspiration for the youth of the country, he added.
Emphasising upon the capabilities of the Indians, the Prime Minister emphasized the strengths of the common citizens. Mr Modi underlined the strength of the youth of India in the fields of defence and startups. The Prime Minister urged the people to dedicate themselves to the development of the country. The Prime Minister said that there are many examples of islands and small coastal countries that have made unprecedented progress in the world today. He highlighted that even though the path of progress is filled with challenges, development arrives with all kinds of solutions. The Prime Minister expressed confidence that the development work being done in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands will further strengthen the entire region.
Speaking on the occasion, Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia said that the country's aircraft fleet has been expanded from 400 to 700. He added that the number of Greenfield airports has also expanded to fourteen. Mr Scindia said, within the next three-four years, the number of airports would cross 200. He also unveiled the statue of Vinayak Damodar Savarkar in Port Blair. With a total built up area of around 40,800 sqm, the new terminal building will be capable of handling about 50 lakh passengers annually. An Apron suitable for two Boeing-767-400 and two Airbus-321 types of aircraft has also been constructed at the airport at a cost of 80 crore rupees, making the airport now suitable for parking of ten aircrafts at a time.
The architectural design of the airport terminal resembles a shell shaped structure depicting sea and islands. The new airport terminal building has a number of sustainability features including Double Insulated Roofing System to reduce heat gain, skylights to provide maximum inlet of abundant natural sunlight during day time to reduce artificial light usage inside the building, LED lighting, low heat gain glazing. Rainwater catchment in an underground water tank, on-site sewage treatment plant with 100 percent of treated wastewater reused for landscaping and a 500 KW capacity solar power plant are some other features of the terminal building. As a gateway to the pristine islands of the Andaman and Nicobar, Port Blair is a popular destination for tourists. The spacious terminal building will boost air traffic and help enhance tourism in the region. It will also help create enhanced employment opportunities for the local community and give fillip to the economy of the region.
