Vijoynagar (also known as Vijay Nagar and Vijaynagar) is the most remote town and circle headquarters in the Changlang district, Arunachal Pradesh, India.
Vijaynagar | |
|---|---|
Village | |
 | |
  Vijaynagar Location in Arunachal Pradesh, India  Vijaynagar Vijaynagar (India) | |
| Coordinates: 27°11′31″N 96°59′59″E / 27.19194°N 96.99972°E | |
| Country |  India |
| State | Arunachal Pradesh |
| District | Changlang district |
| Founded by | Maj. Gen. Ajit Singh Guraya |
| Named for | Vijay Nagar |
| Elevation | 1,240 m (4,070 ft) |
| Languages | |
| • Official | Hindi, English and |
| Time zone | UTC+05:30 (IST) |
| ISO 3166 code | IN-AR |
| Vehicle registration | AR |
According to the 2011 census, Vijoynagar has a population of 4,438.[1]
Location
editVijoynagar is 157 km (98 mi) from the nearest navigable road in India located at Miao by foot. It is bordered to the south and east by Myanmar, and to the north by a thick forest of the Namdapha National Park. Nearby Indian cities are Miao, Hayuliang, and Tezu. Putao is the nearest city in Myanmar.
History
editIn a 1961–1962 expedition led by the Assam Rifles,[2] Maj. Gen A.S Gauraya found an unexplored serene landscape of Indian territory between the three-sided border of Burma (Myanmar) and named the region Vijaynagar after Gauraya's son "Vijay".[citation needed] After the settlement process was initiated by the North East Frontier Agency (now known as Arunachal Pradesh), two hundred families of Assam Rifles soldiers (95% of whom are Gurkhas) settled there.
Today, Vijoynagar Headquarters and the Vijoyanagar Sub-Division consist of a cluster of 14 villages on the border with Myanmar: Ramnagar, Chididi, Majgoan, Two-hut, Budhamandir, Phaparbari, Daragoan, Gehrigaon, Topi-Hill, Preeti Nagar, (Assam Rifle settlers) Hazolo, Sidikuh, Twohut and Dawadi (Yobin inhabitants). This border town is also known as Daudi in the local language of the Lisu (Yobin) people who reside there.[3]
Transportation
editVijoynagar can only be reached on foot, or by air via the Vijoynagar Airport (also called the Vijaynagar Advanced Landing Ground). This is the 8th Advanced Landing Ground (ALG) in Arunachal Pradesh upgraded by the Indian Airforce (IAF) and Indian Army in September 2019 to allow the landing of fighter jets and large transport planes.[1] The upgrade involved building local link roads among villages around Vijaynagar.[4]
A road connection to nearby Miao, costing ₹225 crores, was dedicated in February 2013 but has been delayed by environmental activists concerned about the National Park.[1] The issue was resolved by adding a prefabricated bridge to protect park life and facilitate monitoring by the Forests Department. In September 2019, the Governor of Arunachal Pradesh ordered new construction by first completing the central bridge road, already being built in Kolkata.[4] There are plans to extend this road to Putao Airport in Myanmar under the Look East policy, thus connecting it to both India's and Myanmar's national highway networks.
Vijoynagar would be the eastern terminus of the Arunachal Pradesh Frontier Highway, a proposed 2,000 km (1,200 mi) road following the McMahon Line to Mago and Thingbu in the west.[5][6][7][8] A map of the proposed route can be seen here and here.[9]
See also
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References
edit- ^ a b c "New IAF 'airport' in Arunachal provides an alternative to walking 157 km". The Hindu. 18 September 2019.
- ^ Mishra, Major Vishnu Kumar (27 November 2020). "VIJAYNAGAR : AN UNTOLD STORY OF ASSAM RIFLES". Salute. Retrieved 14 April 2021.
- ^ "Vijoynagar | Changlang District, Government of Arunachal Pradesh | India". Retrieved 14 November 2024.
- ^ a b Expedite Miao-Vijaynagar road: Arunachal Governor, Nenow.in, 2 September 2019.
- ^ "Top officials to meet to expedite road building along China border". Dipak Kumar Dash. timesofindia.indiatimes.com. Retrieved 27 October 2014.
- ^ "Narendra Modi government to provide funds for restoration of damaged highways". Daily News and Analysis. Retrieved 27 October 2014.
- ^ "Indian Government Plans Highway Along Disputed China Border". Ankit Panda. thediplomat.com. Retrieved 27 October 2014.
- ^ "Govt planning road along McMohan line in Arunachal Pradesh: Kiren Rijiju". Live Mint. Retrieved 26 October 2014.
- ^ "China warns India against paving road in Arunachal". Ajay Banerjee. tribuneindia.com. Retrieved 26 October 2014.