Lack of road, traffic signages makes navigation difficult at Diglipur

DJ Venkatesh
Diglipur, Sept 2: Ranked second in terms of population density after the capital city of this Union Territory, Diglipur in North Andaman remains in a disadvantaged position due to lack of road and traffic signages. Though considered crucial for navigation and traffic regulation, almost all arterial and link roads at Diglipur are devoid of proper signages leaving motorists hassled.
Former Assistant Commissioner, Dr Vivek Kumar had urged the Executive Engineer of the concerned APWD Division to expedite installation of road signages; however even after a lapse of over three years no steps has been initiated by the APWD in this regard.
According to reports, Diglipur in the recent years has witnessed a surge in vehicular population particularly tourist and good vehicles arriving from other islands with visitors and essential commodities. But due to the lack of road signages, motorists unaware of the road network in the region are left stranded in Diglipur. Some park their vehicles at unauthorised places to find out the route to tourist destination and face penalty by Traffic cops. Goods Carriers too meet the same fate while unloading commodities in the region.
Auto Rickshaw drivers meanwhile causes huge disruption in traffic by parking their vehicle wherever they want.
“Diglipur is a massive region with a wide network of arterial and link roads connecting several villages and tourist spots. But in the absence of road and traffic signages the visitors from various parts of these islands are left lost at Subashgram bazaar area. Road signs installed prominently indicating routes to various places has been a key demand of the residents of Diglipur. But repeated appeals to the authorities have proved futile. The Dy.SP of Diglipur in June this year again asked the APWD to install traffic signs on the roads; but the APWD appears unmoved as no action has been taken till date. As a result, tourist and transport vehicles are challaned by the police at frequent intervals for parking at authorised locations,” said a tourist cab driver speaking to Andaman Sheekha.
The APWD Division of Diglipur should immediately act to install road and traffic signages at various locations in Diglipur. Designated parking lots for two wheelers, four-wheelers and goods vehicles should be clearly indicated to avoid inconvenience to hundreds of tourists and others visit the region on a daily basis.