Berhampur: Induction of the country’s latest warship, Mahendragiri, named after a mountain range in Eastern Ghats in Odisha’s Gajapati district on Saturday, has brought joy and pride to people of Odisha-Andhra Pradesh border district.Defence minister Rajnath Singh commissioned the INS Mahendragiri, an indigenously designed stealth frigate, and six Project 17A Nilgiri-class warships at Visakhapatnam dockyard in Andhra Pradesh. The state-of-the-art warship symbolises resilience, strength and unwavering resolve. The vessel was developed as a part of the push towards the Atma Nirbhar Bharat idea, sources said.“It’s a proud moment for not only the people of Gajapati and Ganjam district, but for the entire country, as it is the first Indian naval warship to bear this name Mahendragiri, a famous mountain located in Odisha,” said MP (Berhampur) Pradeep Kumar Panigrahy.Thanking Prime Minister Narendra Modi and defence minister Rajnath Singh for naming the warship after Mahendragiri, Panigrahy said the vessel symbolised resilience, strength and endurance while carrying forward a legacy of Odisha’s rich maritime and cultural heritage.Mahendragiri is the second hill shrine in southern Odisha recognised by the Indian Navy. Indian Navy’s first all-women crew sailboat INSV Tarini was named after the Tara Tarini hill shrine in Ganjam district some years ago.“We have demanded to name a train, railway station or a ship in the name of Mahendragiri, a historic mountain of the state. We are very happy as the Central govt named one of its latest warships in the name of Mahendragiri,” said Laxmi Baba, convener, Mahendragiri Surakshya Samiti.Mahendragiri is one of the highest peaks in the state and a critical mountain ecosystem in southern Odisha. It features diverse, rare and medical flora. “We are happy as the govt has named its latest war vessel in the name of Mahendragiri,” said S N Patra, president, Odisha Environment Society (OES). “We have also urged the govt to declare Mahendragiri as a biosphere reserve, a long-standing demand of the environmentalists,” he said.The state govt has declared an area of 4,250 hectares in Mahendragiri hill ecosystem comprising two reserve forests-Idongiri and Mahendra as biodiversity heritage sites, sources said. Besides flora and fauna, the archaeological structures like Bhima, Yudhisthira and Kunti temples are in the hill area.Former Union Minister Chandra Sekhar Sahu said it was a welcome step to name the warship in the name of Mahendragiri. He also expressed concern over non-development of its infrastructure, even though the govt declared to include it in Ramayan circuit by the tourism ministry.
