Demand to declare Andaman’s Viper Island as National Memorial gaining support

Journalists’ protest enters third month

Staff Correspondent
Port Blair, May 04: The long pending demand for declaring Viper Island of Andaman and Nicobar Islands as National Memorial, is getting strength in these remote Indian Islands.

The Historic Viper Island is located very close to Port Blair city, the capital of A & N Island, and is presently a prominent tourist destination as it still has remains of jail rooms and the infamous gallows, where many freedom fighters were tortured and hanged.

Since March 5, 2012 a few local journalists of Andaman and Nicobar Islands are sitting on a Dharna infornt of Secretariat building, protesting against the move of Andaman and Nicobar Administration to construct a 50 berth Yacht Marina at Historic Viper Island. The scribes are also demanding to declare Viper Island as National Memorial. The indefinite dharna, conducted only on working day and working hours, has now entered third month today.

These, Journalists, hailing from Subhash Chandra Press Club are demanding immediate withdrawal of proposal as they believe that such project will ruin the sanctity of the Island, which is a witness of untold sufferings of freedom fighters, who were brought to Andamans from all over India during British era.

“From 1858 to 1906, till the Cellular Jail was constructed, our freedom fighters and panel settlers were being kept at Viper Island, Initially in an open jail. Viper Island is a national heritage and members of Subhash Chandra Press Club demand to withdraw such evil design tourism project and also to declare Viper Island as National Memorial,” Mr. Shyam Singh Yadav, the General Secretary of Subhash Chandra Press Club told ‘Andaman Sheekha’ today.

Meanwhile the Bharatiya Janta Party has also joined the movement and demanded declaration of the Historic Island as National Memorial.

Now the State of A & N State BJP unit, R Mohan has written a letter to the Prime Minister of India, Dr Manmohan Singh, Smti Sushma Swaraj, MP, Leader of opposition and to the Lt Governor, ANI to declare Viper Island as a National Memorial.

“After Independence, it took a long time to declare the Cellular Jail, the pilgrimage freedom struggle, as the National Memorial in the year 1969 by the Government of India. There is another place, waiting for a long to be declared as the National Memorial, which is having no less importance than the Cellular jail and that is Viper Island,” Mohan said in his letter.