Port Blair, Sept 13: The Lt. Governor, A&N Islands, Prof. Jagdish Mukhi visited Bambooflat and held interactions with the PRI members and general public of Stewartgunj and its adjacent areas in the community Hall, Stewartgunj this evening. During the interaction, the Lt. Governor outlined the goals of the Administration and stated that by 2018, the entire A&N Islands will be converted into green energy efficient Islands by utilizing solar generated power and other eco friendly power generating sources. The Lt. Governor highlighted the commitment of the Govt. of India to establish renewable sources of energy, including solar, wind, tidal waves and hydraulic energy, to meet the power requirements of the Islands. He said that the work for 20MW solar plant has already been initiated in these Isles. The Lt. Governor informed that experts will also be invited to explore the feasibility for establishing wind as well as tidal wave energy in the Islands.
The Lt. Governor also desired that every Govt. establishment and institution should be installed with rooftop solar panels to meet the power requirements. Besides, the Lt. Governor also appealed to the general public as also PRI members to install the same in their respective houses so that the goal of making these Islands pollution free by December 2018. The Lt. Governor also urged the general public to make best use of Govt. schemes, which provide subsidy towards installation of solar panels in their respective houses.
Regarding the connectivity issue, the Lt. Governor informed that he will take up the matter for laying under sea optical fiber cable connecting the Islands with Chennai including Car Nicobar and other outlying Islands, with the concerned Ministry. The major project, which is estimated to cost Rs. 1100 crore will require about 1800 km cable, which is not an easy work, but will be taken up at the earliest, assured the Lt. Governor.
The Lt. Governor also stressed the need for ensuring that the benefits of all developmental activities percolate down to the grass root level so that the goal of the Government can be achieved. “The Hon’ble Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modiji led Government is committed towards the welfare of every section of the society”, said the Lt. Governor. He appealed to every individual including PRI members to freely approach him and put forth their grievances without hesitation besides the usual Public Hearing at Raj Niwas. The Lt. Governor desired that the gap between officials and public be reduced by frequent interactions, so that matters can be resolved amicably without delay. The Lt. Governor also expressed his satisfaction that the people of A&N Islands are self-sufficient and are capable of earning their livelihood and should be proud that the per capita income here is much higher as compared to national per capita income. The Lt. Governor also lauded the cleanliness of the Islands and urged people to up keep the Islands spic and span.
During the interaction, the public representatives as well as villagers of the area also put forth their grievances before the Lt. Governor. The issues included roads, electricity, connectivity, revenue matters, health care facilities etc. The Lt. Governor gave a patient hearing to their grievances and issued instructions to the concerned officials to make amicable solutions to the grievances highlighted. The concerned authorities also clarified to the people about the developmental works initiated by their respective Departments towards resolving the issues highlighted by the public.
Earlier, the Lt. Governor visited Kamsarat Nallah Dam and was apprised of the features and operational capacity of the dam. Later, the Lt. Governor visited CHC Bambooflat and enquired about the health facilities available in the centre. He also interacted with the in patients of the male ward and enquired about their health.
The Adhyaksha ZPSA, Smti. Minati Biswas, ex-Adhyaksha, ZPSA, Ms. V.K. Mariam Bibi, Secretary IP, Dr A.K. Singla, Deputy Commissioner, South Andaman, Shri Udit Prakash Rai, EE Electricity, Shri U.K. Paul, SE, APWD, Shri Mathura Prasad and other Senior Officers of the Administration accompanied the Lt. Governor on his visit to the area.
