Union Minister of Ports and Shipping Sarbananda Sonowal inaugurated the Indian Lighthouse Festival at Fort Aguada in Goa on Sunday. The festival, according to the Centre, is aimed at rejuvenating the rich maritime history of the country’s 75 iconic lighthouses. It is also aimed to promote lighthouses as tourism destinations and to create opportunities for local communities and businesses.
Mr. Sonowal said the ‘Lighthouse Festival’ is a magnificent celebration that promises to be a captivating journey through time and beauty, a journey that will illuminate the hidden gems of maritime history and reveal the untold stories of the country’s historic lighthouses. He said the Centre enacted the Marine Aids to Navigation Act in 2021 by repealing the Lighthouse Act, 1927 to provide a framework for development, maintenance, and management of aids to navigation in India. “Under this, we introduced the innovative concept of Heritage Lighthouse wherein the Central government may designate any aid to navigation under its control as a heritage lighthouse. In addition to their function as aids to navigation, such lighthouses will be developed for educational, cultural, and tourism purposes,” the Minister said.
He said iconic Lighthouses will become catalyst of educational, cultural and tourist hotspots. “For far too long, the silent sentinels of coastlines were left ignored while serving the light of hope to scores of sailors and ships amidst the darkest nights. The ‘Lighthouse Festival’ is our endeavour to change that,” he added.
