Trinath & Gracy Tripathy
Port Blair, Sept 09: Since the beginning of unlock-4, stranded people of North and Middle Andaman are trying hard to reach back to their respective places. But the biggest hindrance to this seems to be lack of testing facilities for STS Bus passengers.
As per the sources, every day there are five to six ATR express buses ready to depart from South Andaman for North and Middle Andaman but due to medical protocols, only one or two buses reach North and Middle Andaman.
It is alleged that only limited Covid-19 tests are being conducted for the passengers and the rest of the public has to return back from the bus terminal.
The stranded people of North and Middle Andaman at Port Blair are not only struggling hard to keep themselves safe from COVID-19 infection but also are facing financial crises for lodging and boarding.
When Andaman Sheekha contacted, Mr. Navlendra Singh, Director, Transport Department said that we are only following protocols given by the administration and there’s nothing more to be done for this, there are other vehicles also, which are in need to be sent to North and Middle Andaman.
When asked about the fewer number of Covid-19 tests, Mr.Singh replied that the department has to balance all the movement of people alongside the essential services.
“We want to control the spread of Covid-19, and so we are only maintaining the highest safety guidelines and it is impossible to conduct tests for each passenger. Moreover, it is not only about the passengers, but also about the essential commodities which are transported” added Mr. Singh.
He further mentioned that because of the people’s unlimited movement the spread of Covid-19 infection increased and thus Administration is trying to control the movement. He suggested the public to avoid unnecessary travels.
