Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday congratulated the people of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands and all those who had worked on the submarine optical fibre cable (OFC) connecting Chennai and Port Blair and said the improved connectivity in the archipelago would transform lives in the near future.

“When I visited Andaman and Nicobar Islands in 2018, people complained about poor internet. A 2,300 km long submarine cable inaugurated today changes that! In quick time and challenging geographies, the cable is all set to transform lives. Kudos to those who worked on this,” the Prime Minister said in a tweet.

PM Modi earlier on Monday morning inaugurated the submarine optical fibre cable connecting Chennai and Port Blair, via video conferencing. He had laid the foundation stone for this project in December 2018 at Port Blair.

Emphasising that the optical fibre cable would ensure high-speed broadband connectivity, fast mobile and landline telecom services and would also give an impetus to the local economy, the Prime Minister said, “Today August 10 is a special day for my sisters and brothers of Andaman and Nicobar Islands. Inauguration of the submarine Optical Fibre Cable in the islands will ensure high-speed broadband connectivity, reliable mobile and landline telecom services, delivery of e-governance, telemedicine and tele-education.”

According to a release by Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), the submarine cable will also connect Port Blair to Swaraj Dweep (Havelock), Little Andaman, Car Nicobar, Kamorta, Great Nicobar, Long Island, and Rangat.

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The Prime Minister further said that the efforts of the government will establish the Andaman and Nicobar archipelago as a prominent place on the global tourist map within the next decade. The new infrastructure in Andaman and Nicobar Islands will also create employment opportunities.

Home minister Amit Shah also lauded the first undersea optical fibre project to provide high-speed internet connectivity to Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

In a series of tweets, he described it as a “momentous day” for the people of Andaman and Nicobar Islands after the Prime Minister inaugurated the 2,312-kilometer-long submarine optical fibre cable (OFC) connecting Port Blair, Little Andaman and Swaraj Island. Shah said the mammoth project had enormous challenges, but was completed well before its timeline.