Vikramaditya
Port Blair, June 27: The Pradhan of Shaheed Dweep, Mrs. Pinkey Das has requested the Directorate of Shipping Services to make minor changes in the schedule of ‘Line Boat’ which operates between Port Blair- Shaheed Dweep- Swaraj Dweep- Kadamtala- Rangat -Long Island twice a week.
According to the Pradhan of Shaheed Dweep presently only about 60 residents of the Island are getting ticket in the line boat in a week, which is very very less while tickets issued to residents of Swaraj Dweep is almost three times more.
She said that presently the ‘line-boat’ which is operated on Monday and Friday every week, first reaches Shaheed Dweep from Port Blair and from Shaheed Dweep the ferry goes to Swaraj Dweep and after that the ferry sails for Kadamtala- Rangat and Long Island.
Interestingly again by evening the ferry returns back to Swaraj Dweep and again on the next day the ferry sails for Rangat with only passengers of Swaraj Dweep.
“This means passengers of Swaraj Dweep get the ferry for four days a week and three times more seats when compared to passengers of Shaheed Dweep, where the ferry connects only twice a week,” she added.
According to the Pradhan in case of emergency she has to take passengers to Swaraj Dweep in a normal ferry and accommodate Shaheed Dweep passengers from Swaraj Dweep jetty, which is a very tiring process and very uncertain adjustment.
She demanded that to provide equal chance to residents of Shaheed Dweep the line boat must reach directly to Shaheed Dweep on Monday and Friday and from Shaheed Dweep the ferry must go to Rangat and Long Island with only passengers of Shaheed Dweep.
She added that by evening the ferry may return to Swaraj Dweep as normal schedule and next day the ferry must take passengers of only Swaraj Dweep to Kadamtala- Rangat -Long Island.
“If this schedule is followed then passengers of Shaheed Dweep and Swaraj Dweep will get an equal number of tickets and it will benefit everyone,” she added.
The Pradhan also demanded scheduling this five port boat (Line Boat) thrice a week. She also requested the Administration to immediately restart the link boat from Long Island to Kadamtala, weekly twice on the same schedule date of Line Boat.
