Neil Island, officially known as Shaheed Dweep, is an island of the

Andaman Islands The Andaman Islands () are an archipelago in the northeastern Indian Ocean about southwest off the coasts of Myanmar's Ayeyarwady Region. Together with the Nicobar Islands to their south, the Andamans serve as a maritime boundary between th ...

, located in

Ritchie's Archipelago Ritchie's Archipelago is a cluster of smaller islands which lie east of Great Andaman, the main island group of the Andaman Islands. The Islands belong to the South Andaman administrative district, part of the Indian union territory of Andama ...

. It belongs to the

South Andaman South Andaman Island is the southernmost island of the Great Andaman and is home to the majority of the population of the Andaman Islands. It belongs to the South Andaman administrative district, part of the Indian union territory of Andaman a ...

administrative

district A district is a type of administrative division that, in some countries, is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or counties, several municipalities, subdivisions o ...

, part of the

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

n union territory of

Andaman and Nicobar Islands The Andaman and Nicobar Islands is a union territory of India consisting of 572 islands, of which 37 are inhabited, at the junction of the Bay of Bengal and the Andaman Sea. The territory is about north of Aceh in Indonesia and separated f ...

. The island is loocated northeast from

Port Blair Port Blair () is the capital city of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, a union territory of India in the Bay of Bengal. It is also the local administrative sub-division (''tehsil'') of the islands, the headquarters for the district of South An ...

Etymology

Neill Island was named after British

Brigadier general Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointed ...

James Neill, who had fought on the side of the British East Indian company in the

Sepoy Mutiny The Indian Rebellion of 1857 was a major uprising in India in 1857–58 against the rule of the British East India Company, which functioned as a sovereign power on behalf of the British Crown. The rebellion began on 10 May 1857 in the for ...

of 1857. In December 2018, it was renamed as Shaheed Dweep as a tribute to

Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose Subhas Chandra Bose ( ; 23 January 1897 – 18 August 1945 * * * * * * * * *) was an Indian nationalist whose defiance of British authority in India made him a hero among Indians, but his wartime alliances with Nazi Germany and Imperi ...

. Bose had hoisted the Indian flag at Port Blair on 30 December 1943 and proclaimed the Andaman and Nicobar Islands as territories liberated form British rule. He had subsequently named Andaman Island as Shaheed and Nicobar Island as Swaraj.

History

Shaheed Dweep, then Neill Island, was uninhabited until the arrival of settlers in the late 1960s. Like Swaraj Dweep, then Havelock, the vast majority of settlers at Shaheed Dweep were refugees from erstwhile East-Pakistan, following the exodus of Hindu Bangladeshis prior to that country's war of independence in 1971. On 30 December 2018, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced that Neill Island would be renamed as Shaheed Dweep.

Geography

The island belongs to the

and is located between Havelock Island and Rose Island. It is a comparatively flat island, and much of the landmass was deemed suitable for paddy cultivation. Unfortunately, as a result of this, very little forest cover remains at Shaheed, and almost all of it is concentrated in the reserve forest on Shaheed's north-western side. Shaheed Dweep tends to remain a degree or two warmer than Havelock as a result of the lack of forest cover. The island is not without charm however, but it is a different, pastoral sort of charm that the island offers.

Administration

Politically, Shaheed Dweep is part of Neill Kendra

panchayat The Panchayat raj is a political system, originating from the Indian subcontinent, found mainly in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and Nepal. It is the oldest system of local government in the Indian subcontinent, and historical men ...

, of

Taluk A tehsil (, also known as tahsil, taluka, or taluk) is a local unit of administrative division in some countries of South Asia. It is a subdistrict of the area within a district including the designated populated place that serves as its administr ...

Demographics

The population of 3040 lives in five villages, listed below, with population at 2011 census in parentheses: * Sitapur (274) * Bharatpur (629) * Neill Kendra (1000) * Lakshmanpur (382) * Ram Nagar (755)

Transport

There is a jetty at Neill Kendra, which serves as the only access point of the island. There are regular Government ferry from Port Blair to Shaheed Dweep. There are private cruise ships such as Makruzz, Green Ocean, Sea Link and Coastal Cruise.

Economy

Agriculture is the primary occupation of the villagers, and the island supplies vegetables to the rest of

Andaman Andaman may refer to: * Andaman Islands * Andaman Sea * ''Andaman'' (1998 film), a Kannada-language film * ''Andaman'' (2016 film), a Tamil-language film * ''Andaman'' (2021 film), a Hindi-language film See also * Andaman and Nicobar Islands ...

. Neil island is known for it organic cultivation and provides much of the organic produce to remaining part of the islands.

Tourism

Despite its minuscule tourist infrastructure, an increasing number of tourists have chosen to stay at Shaheed Dweep instead of neighboring Swaraj Dweep. There are a handful of restaurants and basic beach hotels that cater to international and domestic tourists. Some notable places to visit in Neil Island are, Bharatpur Beach, Laxmanpur Beach, Sitapur Beach, and Natural Bridge. Some people also like to visit the Ramnagar Beach, also known as the Sunset Beach. Water Sports Activities are only available in Bharatpur Beach. Rest of the attractions are only for sightseeing. Shaheed Dweep can be explored by renting a two-wheeler, cycle or by hiring private cabs. Currently, no self drive vehicles are available at Shaheed Dweep. Activities such as boat scuba diving, snorkelling, glass bottom boat rides are available at Shaheed Dweep. Limited ferry are available from Port Blair to Shaheed Dweep. It is recommended to reach Swaraj Dweep before coming to Shaheed Dweep for better connectivity.

Image gallery

File:Shaheed Island, Andamans, Mangrove beach, Wilderness.jpg, Mangrove trees File:Shaheed Island, Andaman Islands, Tropical beach.jpg, Tropical beach File:Shaheed Island, Andamans, Interior jungle.jpg, Interior forest File:Andaman Islands, Full moon night, Forest by the sea at night.jpg, Forest by the sea at night File:Entry to Niel Island from Bharatpur Jetty, Andaman Island, India.JPG, Entry to Neill Island from Bharatpur Jetty. File:Natural Bridge, Neil Island, Andaman, India.JPG, Hawrah Natural Bridge, Neill Island. File:Bharathpur Jetty.JPG, Bharathpur Jetty File:Ritchies Archipelago locale.png, Ritchie's Archipelago within the Andaman Islands File:Ritchie's Archipelago Neil Island.png, Neill Island within Ritchie's Archipelago File:Andamane 7 1250001-1.jpg, Neil Island on December 26, 2004, after earthquake and tsunami

References

External links

Neill Island brochure at Andaman Tourism
Ritchie's Archipelago Islands of South Andaman district Islands of the Andaman Sea {{DEFAULTSORT:Neill Island