Sheekha Bureau
Port Blair, Oct 24: After jumping many deadlines finally the Alternative Sea Route to Baratang has become the reality. With introduction of this service by the Directorate of Shipping Services, the passengers, mainly from middle Andaman region, now expect a hassle free journey towards Port Blair that too in three hours.
Due to the pathetic condition of the Andaman trunk road and the problems related to bus tickets, now the passengers traveling from Baratang to Port Blair are opting for this ferry.
But recently it has been noticed that the ferry which departs from Baratang for its return journey towards Port Blair is redirected to Havelock for picking up passengers from Havelock to Port Blair without prior information.
Due to this undeclared diversion of ferry, the passengers traveling from Baratang to Port Blair not only faces unwanted problems and also find such diversion wastage of time.
Raising this issue on behalf of people of Baratang, Mr. Alagar Swamy, Zilla Parishad Member, Baratang has requested Directorate of Shipping Services to stop such undeclared diversion of sailing and fix the route of Baratang Ferry directly to Port Blair.
“If such diversion continues, people will stop travelling in Baratang ferry. Why would anyone travel all the way to Havelock for no reasons. In rough weather such journey will only cause huge harassment to local passengers,” he added.
When Andaman Sheekha Correspondent of Baratang approached one such ferry and asked whether the ferry will directly go to Port Blair or it will touch Havelock before Port Blair the ferry crew were unable to reply. “We usually get signal about such diversion after we sail from here,” said a staff.
The alternate route to Baratang came into existence only after SC direction and slowly when public started liking it, the Shipping Services is now indirectly trying to discourage people from taking the ferry, public believes.
