Vikramaditya
Port Blair, Mar 03: Shaheed Dweep residents are demanding that the Andaman Administration make a new rule for the allocation of shops in the upcoming shopping complex. According to residents, the new rule must ensure that only islanders with an Islander card are given shops, and no outsiders are allowed to run businesses on the island.
The demand comes after the recent eviction drive, which saw over 165 shops being removed from Bharatpur beach and Laxmanpur Sunset beach. Many of these shops were allegedly run by mainlanders, while local youths of Shaheed Dweep did not get a chance to run their own businesses.
Residents are concerned that allowing outsiders to run businesses on the island will harm the future of the island and its economy. They believe that only locals and islanders must be given shops in the new complex to ensure that the island’s economy remains in the hands of the people who live there.
Many islanders already suspect that a particular group is planning to give some shops to mainland businessmen, which they believe will be an injustice to locals. Therefore, residents are urging the Administration to take their demands seriously and ensure that the new shopping complex is only available to islanders with an islander card.
As the Administration moves forward with the construction of the shopping complex, it remains to be seen whether the demands of Shaheed Dweep residents will be taken into account. However, residents are determined to continue their fight to ensure that their island’s future remains in their hands.
