Tarun Karthick
Sri Vijaya Puram, 19 September 2024
Mr. Bishnu Pada Ray, the Member of Parliament (MP) representing the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, was the only member of a 16-member committee to refuse consent for renaming Port Blair to “Sri Vijaya Puram,” according to Mr. Vishwendra, Secretary (Art & Culture), Andaman and Nicobar Administration.
The committee, established in 2013, was tasked with overseeing the naming and renaming of islands, places, roads etc. in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. While all other members provided their approval for the name change, Ray refused to sign the document on two separate occasions.
The document seeking Mr. Bishnu Pada Ray’s consent was presented to him twice, Mr. Vishwendra stated in an exclusive interaction with Nicobar Times. The first time, he was in New Delhi, and he declined to sign. Later, when the Director of Art & Culture, Mr. Azharuddin Zahiruddin Quazi, personally visited the MP’s office in Port Blair with the document, Mr. Ray once again refused to sign and give his consent.
According to Mr. Vishwendra, Mr. Bishnu Pada Ray’s refusal was duly noted in the official file, which was then forwarded to the Lieutenant Governor of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands for approval. Following this, the file was submitted to the Ministry of Home Affairs, with the MP’s refusal to sign clearly documented.
It is clear from Mr. Vishwendra’s disclosure that despite Ray’s non-consent, the Ministry of Home Affairs approved the name change, and the administration subsequently issued a Gazette Notification, formally renaming Port Blair as “Sri Vijaya Puram.”
The Secretary’s revelations indicate that Ray was fully aware of the proposal but chose not to support it, marking him as the sole dissenting voice in the renaming process.