Tuticorin Port Trust to be renamed V O Chidambaranar Port Trust
27 Jan 2011
The union cabinet today approved a proposal for renaming the Tuticorin Port Trust as VO Chidambaranar Port Trust.
While ports are generally named after the city or the town in which these are situated, the union government has, as a special case, considered renaming of the Tuticorin Port after the Tamil leader VO Chidambaranar Pillai.
"There have been frequent demands from several quarters in Tamil Nadu to rename Tuticorin Port Trust as VO Chidambaranar Port Trust. V.O. Chidambaranar Pillai (5 September 1872 to 18 November 1936) hailed from Ottapidararn near Tuticorin in Tamilnadu.
He started the `Swadeshi Steam Navigation Company',
as part of the `Swadeshi' movement and procured two ships and launched the first indigenous Indian Shipping service between Tuticorin and Colombo in the year 1906.
VO Chindambaranar was an erudite scholar in Tamil, a prolific writer, a fiery speaker, a trade union leader of unique caliber and a dauntless freedom fighter and by renaming the Tuticorin Port Trust as, the nation would be remembering the invaluable contribution made by the legendary freedom fighter in its freedom struggle, an official release said.