The Chief Minister of Maharashtra, Eknath Sambhajirao Shinde, on June 28, 2023, gave its nod to rename the Versova-Bandra Sea Link and Mumbai Trans Harbour Link. From now on, the Versova -Bandra Sea Link will be called the Veer Savarkar Setu, and the Trans-Harbour Link will be called Atal Bihari Vajpayee Smruthi Nhava Seva Atal Setu, the ANI reported.
On the occasion of his 140th birthday, a New Parliament building was inaugurated in the country.
Senior BJP leader, and Cabinet Minister Sudhir Mungantiwar, announced the decision and said that there should be no tussle over the name as the remaining has been done after the two great personalities of the nation.
“It is a matter of pride for every Marathi person that the new building of the Parliament is being inaugurated on this auspicious day. But some people have tried to sow salt on that programme by boycotting it as well,” Shinde said.
A month ago, Maharashtra CM Shinde announced that the Versova Link Bridge will be renamed Veer Savarkar Setu after the 140th birth anniversary of the famous revolutionary Vinayak Damodar Savarkar. It is worth mentioning here that the move is being seen as an attempt to attract voters ahead of the local body polls, especially elections due to be held next year.
PM Narendra Modi, in his 101st episode of Mann ki Baat, said that the stories related to Veer Savarkar’s sacrifice and courage inspired Indians even today.
The Maharashtra government also decided to celebrate Savarkar Jayanti as Veer Savarkar Gaurav Din. The government also dedicated a Veer Savarkar bravery award to those who have done remarkable work in different fields.
The Atal Bihari Vajpayee Nhava Setu is a 22km bridge connecting the island city of Mumbai to the mainland. It is the longest sea bridge in India. It will significantly change and reduce the Time travel between Mumbai and Pune as well as the under-construction Navi Mumbai International Airport.
It has the capacity to handle 50,000 and 60,000 vehicles daily, leading to projected annual savings of one crore litre of fuel and reducing 25,680 million tonnes of CO2 emissions. It is equipped with anti-crash and noise barriers along with an AI system to monitor traffic.
Veer Savarkar was a famous freedom fighter and was incarcerated in the famous Cellular Jail in Port Blair, the capital of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. It was infamously known to the world as Kalapani (Black Waters). His brother Ganesh Savarkar was also sentenced to transportation for life in the same jail.
“His personality comprised firmness and magnanimity. His fearless and self-respecting nature did not entirely at all appreciate Not only the freedom movement, whatever Veer Savarkar did for social equality and social justice is remembered even today,” PM Modi said in his monthly radio address.
Atal Bihari Vajpayee was one of the most powerful and influential Prime Ministers of India. Under his leadership and governance, the Indian Defence Forces achieved victory in the Kargil Conflict of 1999
Earlier, the Maharashtra government had approved the changed names of Aurangabad and Osmanabad in February 2023. The new name for Aurangabad is Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar, and Osmanabad is Dharashiv.
Chhatrapati Sambhaji was the second Chhatrapati of the Maratha Empire who was executed on the orders of Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb. Dharashiv, on the other hand, is an eight-century cave near Osmanabad.
