DJ Venkatesh
Diglipur, June 05: While lack of recreational avenues is driving residents of Diglipur to alcohol addiction and other substance abuse, government agencies located in North Andaman continues to exhibit lethargy in proper maintenance of existing facilities meant for public functions or religious festivals.
According to reports, a flawed design of the sound system at the lone Multipurpose Hall at Diglipur has left the facility redundant for the past several years and the apathy of the government agencies has reduced the hall to a badminton playfield.
The fault in the sound system was detected soon after the inauguration of the Multipurpose Hall even as the concerned government department turned a blind eye to rectify the fault in order to put the facility to optimum use.
“One cannot understand what’s going on stage due to the fault in the sound system. The Multipurpose hall was constructed to provide local residents an arena to host cultural events or religious functions but owing to the fault on the sound system, the popularity of the Hall faded in the recent years. Currently, no cultural events are organized at the venue owing to the fault. In fact, the massive Multipurpose Hall with a capacity of over 2000 people, is being used by people to play games like Badminton, Table tennis,” said some residents of Diglipur.
“Diglipur in North Andaman is the second largest population areas after South Andaman. But unlike Port Blair where recreational facilities are available within a radius of 5 kms, Diglipur lacks entertainment avenues completely. After the inauguration of the Multipurpose Hall, it was expected that the facility will become popular among the locals to host cultural events etc. On the contrary, it has turned out to be of no use due to the fault in the sound system. The local administration should formulate a comprehensive proposal for the redesign of the Multipurpose Hall to develop it as an entertainment hub. Luxury Chairs, air conditioners and other modern amenities should be installed. Besides, steps like daily screening of movies should be taken in the interest of entertainment famished residents of Diglipur,” they added.
When Contacted the Zilla Parishad Member of Diglipur, Mr. Boby told Andaman Sheekha that he has also requested CS to look into this matter so that the Hall is repaired as soon as possible.
