Staff Correspondent
Port Blair, July 17: Nearly 34 hour long agitation of tsunami affected farmers ended this evening at Port Blair, after assurances came from the side of South Andaman District Administration.
Nearly 200 farmers, under the banner of Gram Vikas Samity were protesting since Monday morning at Port Blair against the move of local Administration to demand surrender of land, in lieu of tsunami compensation.
The Andaman and Nicobar Administration recently announced that the Expenditure Finance Committee of the Central Government in its meeting held on 27 June 2012 had approved the grant of compensation in lieu of submerged land of the farmers affected by Tsunami, which left farmers fuming.
Nearly 175 such protesting farmers were arrested yesterday by police but were discharged by the Sub Divisional Magistrate yesterday evening but instead of going back home these farmers gheraoed the Raj Niwas of Andaman and demanded assurance from the side of Administration that their land will not be taken back in lieu of tsunami compensation.
“We spent night on road and had dinner under the open sky in protest. Farmers wanted an assurance,” Rajesh Kumar Lall the General Secretary of Gram Vikas Samity told ‘Andaman Sheekha’ today.
During the day a delegation of farmers under the leadership of the lone Member of Parliament of Andaman and Nicobar Islands met the Lt. Governor of Andaman and Nicobar Islands but the talk failed. Mr. R Mohan the President of A & N State BJP unit was also present during the meeting.
Later in the evening another delegation farmers, headed by MP, called on the Chief Secretary of A & N Administration and placed their demands.
At around 6.30 pm the Deputy Commissioner of South Andaman reached the protest site and assured that the Administration with look into the demands but refused to give any timeline for this.
“The DC assured us to consider our demands but he said for this the Administration requires time. He requested us to end the protest. This is a positive sign,” Mr. Bishnu Pada Ray the lone Member of Parliament told ‘Andaman Sheekha’ today after the protest ended.
