Vijaynagar, Changlang

Vijaynagar (also Vijay Nagar and Vijoynagar) is the remotest tehsil of Changlang district in the northeastern state of Arunachal Pradesh of India. Originally known as Dawodi by the Lisu (Yobin) people, but officially named as Vijaynagar. It is a cluster of 16 villages (one also named Vijaynagar) on the border with Myanmar, 157 km (98 mi) by foot from the nearest motorable road in India (at the district capital, Miao).

Vijaynagar
Village
Vijaynagar
Location in Arunachal Pradesh, India
Vijaynagar
Vijaynagar (India)
Coordinates: 27°11′31″N 96°59′59″E
Country India
StateArunachal Pradesh
DistrictChanglang district
Founded byMaj. Gen. Ajit Singh Guraya
Named forVijay Nagar
Elevation
1,240 m (4,070 ft)
Languages
 • OfficialHindi, English and Gorkhali
Time zoneUTC+05:30 (IST)
ISO 3166 codeIN-AR
Vehicle registrationAR

At the 2011 census, Vijaynagar's population was 4,438. The Lisu people (Yobin) are the native inhabitants of the valley and in May 1961 Assam Rifles soldiers and their families, mostly Gorkhas, were settled in this border tehsil for strategic reasons.[1]

Location

Vijaynagar is surrounded on three sides by Myanmar, while the other side abuts the thick forest of the Namdapha National Park. Nearby cities are Miao (157 km, 7 days' walk), Hayuliang and Tezu in India. Putao (40 km) is the nearest city in Myanmar.

Transportation

Vijaynagar is reached by air, using the Vijaynagar Airport (also called the Vijaynagar Advanced Landing Ground (ALG)). This is the 8th ALG in Arunachal Pradesh upgraded by the Indian Airforce (IAF) and Indian Army (IA) in September 2019 to allow the landing of fighter jets and large transport planes.[1][2] The upgrade involved building local link roads among villages around Vijaynagar.[2][3]

A road connection to Miao, costing ₹225 crores, was dedicated in February 2013 but has been delayed by environmental activists concerned about the National Park.[1] They were accommodated by adding a prefabricated bridge to protect the park life and facilitate monitoring by the Forests Department. In September 2019, the Governor of Arunachal Pradesh ordered expedited construction by first completing the central bridge pier, already being built in Kolkata.[3] 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.

Vijaynagar 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.[4][5][6][7] A map of the proposed route can be seen here and here.[8]

See also

References
  1. "New IAF 'airport' in Arunachal provides an alternative to walking 157 km". The Hindu. 18 September 2019.
  2. "India Sets up Military Landing Ground for Fighter Jets near Chinese Border". Sputnik News. 18 September 2019.
  3. Expedite Miao-Vijaynagar road: Arunachal Governor, Nenow.in, 2 September 2019.
  4. "Top officials to meet to expedite road building along China border". Dipak Kumar Dash. timesofindia.indiatimes.com. Retrieved 27 October 2014.
  5. "Narendra Modi government to provide funds for restoration of damaged highways". Daily News and Analysis. Retrieved 27 October 2014.
  6. "Indian Government Plans Highway Along Disputed China Border". Ankit Panda. thediplomat.com. Retrieved 27 October 2014.
  7. "Govt planning road along McMohan line in Arunachal Pradesh: Kiren Rijiju". Live Mint. Retrieved 26 October 2014.
  8. "China warns India against paving road in Arunachal". Ajay Banerjee. tribuneindia.com. Retrieved 26 October 2014.
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