John Wilbert & Vikramaditya
Port Blair, Apr 06: The Andaman Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ACCI) today organised a press conference to discuss the challenges being faced by the industry due to the administration’s failure to provide a suitable atmosphere for growth and prosperity. ACCI President, Mr. Surendra Prahladka, along with other members, briefed about the issues faced by the business community and people of Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
During the conference, Mr. Prahladka shared that a Joint Forum of 27 associations has been formed to address the problems faced by the industry. The main issues are electricity, water, and shipping services. The Director of the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) parent organization is expected to visit Andaman and Nicobar to discuss the issues with the administration. Moreover, the Joint Forum will organise a trade bandh from April 12, 2023, to draw the government’s attention towards the situation.
Mr. PK Kaushik of TCI Shipping expressed concerns about the shipping problems that Andaman and Nicobar are facing. He pointed out that the region’s lifeline is shipping and that they depend on goods transported by shipping industries from the mainland. However, there has been no development work in the port for the last 25 years. Furthermore, the new order of cancelling the licence of ships with more than 25 years of service will affect the transportation of cargos in Andaman. The region has only one tugboat, no pilot, Assistant Harbour Master, and CPA in PMB. They don’t have night operations in the Port either.
Mr. Girish Arora, Past President, ACCI, highlighted the tourism and hotel-related issues. He pointed out that the conversion of land, which was stopped by the administration, is a significant concern for the industry. The power tariff of electricity in Andaman is also the highest in the world.
To promote the tourism and industries of Andaman and Nicobar Islands, ACCI, along with CII, will organize a roadshow in Delhi next month.
The press conference shed light on the critical issues faced by the industry in Andaman and Nicobar and the steps taken by ACCI and CII to address them.
