Port Blair, July 18: In order to respect the sentiments and old memories of the local inhabitants whose relatives and forefathers were gunned down by the alien forces and buried in the L shaped trench at Humfreygunj during Japanese occupation of these Islands, the Directorate of IP&T is proposing to beautify and develop Humfreygunj Martyr’s Memorial into a pilgrimage point in the larger way. This will enable tourists as well as visitors for paying homage to the departed souls by the visitors as well as tourists.
In order to give a proper shape to the entire complex, housing the Humfreygunj Martyr’s Memorial, a joint meeting involving the stake holders and the Govt officials chaired by the Director (IP&T) was held on 18-7-2012 in the Memorial premises.
It was decided that the entire land having the Memorial to be handed over to the Govt by the Committee as early as possible so that the A&N Administration can take up the subject matter for developing and beautifying the entire area as a tourist destination. After development of the site, it will be transferred to the Panchayat for its maintenance and upkeep. In the development plan, landscaping of the area giving a new look to the memorial and opening of museum are included.
Since A&N Islands are synonym with the freedom struggle, once this project comes up in the larger scale, the Humfreygunj Martyr’s Memorial will take the shape of a new tourist destination in the days to come. This is a part of Administration’s initiative to restore heritage sites in the Islands.
