Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal arrived here on Thursday for a two-day visit to Andaman and Nicobar Islands and went to Campbell Bay to hold meetings on 'Sagarmala' projects, including the holistic development of the Great Nicobar Island in the archipelago.
During the day, he will conduct an aerial survey of the Galathea Bay International Container Transshipment Port project and will visit Indira Point Light House.
Sonowal, the minister of ports, shipping and waterways, landed at the Veer Savarkar International Airport in Port Blair at 8.15 AM. He then left for Campbell Bay in Nicobar district on a flight.
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The minister will review various projects related to Campbell Bay port and will have meetings with local people.
The 'Sagarmala' is the flagship programme of the Ministry of Shipping to promote port-led development in India, keeping in mind the 7,517 km-long coastline in India.
Under the ‘Sagarmala’ project, the Great Nicobar Island will be developed, which will include an international container transhipment terminal, airport, power plant and a greenfield township at Campbell Bay.
It is the southernmost and remotest part of India, which is nearly 80 nautical miles from Ronodo Island, Indonesia's northernmost island.
In the evening, Sonowal will return to Port Blair and hold meetings with the senior administrative officials and representatives of the Andaman Lakshadweep Harbour Works.
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He will visit Atlanta Bay in Diglipur in north Andaman on Friday to oversee the proposed development of a greenfield deep sea port, which will pave the way for Andaman and Nicobar Islands to become a hub for ship repair and construction in the Bay of Bengal.
