Port Blair, Aug 16: The Lt. Governor Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Lt. Gen (Retd.) A K Singh on August 15,2013 said that sustainable and inclusive growth of this Union Territory is required while keeping in mind the fragile ecosystem and indigenous tribes.
In his maiden Independence Day speech as Lt. Governor, from historic Netaji Stadium the newly appointed Lt. Governor also stressed that strategic security of the Islands has to be strengthened.
The Lt. Governor also mentioned the focus areas like tourism, cottage industries, fisheries and IT services, which will have to be developed.
“The work of establishment of a university and a medical college in the Islands will be taken up on priority while infrastructure of health & education sector will be strengthened. The MoS for Sports, Govt. of India has assured me all support for sports related projects of the Islands. The sports infrastructure of the Islands will also be upgraded,” the Lt. Governor said.
Regarding Tribal Communities of A & N Islands, the Lt. Governor informed that a Tribal Research Institute will be set up for working with the indigenous community.
Referring to the expansion of the fleet of the ships and improvement in passenger services in the mainland-Island and inter-Island sectors, besides improving the air services, the Lt. Governor stated that the Civil Aviation Minister has assured him of fulfilling the demands of the Islands in this connection.
Turning to telecom services, the Lt. Governor stated that for bringing improvement in telecom services in the Islands, the UT Administration has given a sum of Rs.50 crore to BSNL and also asked the Telecommunication Ministry to enhance their plan allocation.
“Besides upgrading the security infrastructure, the police force will be modernized and coastal patrolling & surveillance increased,” he said.
Speaking about disaster management in isles, the Lt. Governor said that to ascertain our preparedness, a large scale disaster management exercise is being planned for Nov 20-22 in which Armed Forces, NDMA & NDRF will also participate.
Referring to the Panchayati Raj Institutions, the Lt. Governor said that a road map will be prepared so that the local bodies can provide effective public services.
The Lt. Governor further stated that he will strive to promote a responsive, effective and transparent Administration to the Islanders, with a zero tolerance towards corruption.
On this occasion, the Lt. Governor also honoured six persons from different walks of life with Lt. Governor’s Commendation Certificate for the contribution towards A & N Islands.
