Sri Vijaya Puram, Jan 21: At the request of Mr. Bishnu Pada Ray, Member of Parliament, A&N Islands and in order to understand the ground realities for the examination of the long-pending land conversion matter, the Chief Secretary and his team visited Lamba Pahad, Sippighat on 20.01.2025 and inspected the plotting area. They visited the plotting sites, interacted with residents in the presence of the MP, and listened to their grievances regarding the non-conversion of land, which is affecting over 600 plots.
The residents informed the Chief Secretary that they had purchased the land in 2014 using their hard-earned money, pensions and personal loans, hoping to develop and build houses with bank loans after the land was converted into house sites. However, this goal has been unachievable due to the halt in the conversion process since 2018.
They further informed the Chief Secretary that most of them are inter-island settlers and retired government employees who purchased the land for residential purposes, especially to support their children’s education and health needs. They added that while the mutation of the plots in their individual names has been completed, the conversion process remains stalled.
The residents also highlighted that during the plotting of the land, a 6-meter-wide area was earmarked for roads, which had been set aside by the revenue authority as per procedure. Furthermore, electricity connections, ring wells and water supply infrastructure have already been made available in the plotting area. Despite these provisions, the land conversion process for house sites remains halted.
During the site visit and inspection, the MP brought to the Chief Secretary’s attention that thousands of similar cases across the Andaman & Nicobar Islands are causing widespread hardship and need urgent resolution. Based on the discussions, the MP will submit a detailed letter to the Chief Secretary for examination and urgent action to address the long-pending issue of land conversion.
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