Port Blair, Jul 04: CITU, A & N Islands has requested the Chief Secretary to issue directions to the Transport and Shipping Departments to private bus services and ferry services to the pre-lockdown covid 19 in March, 2020 for the convenience of people. Mr B. Chandrachoodan, State Secretariat Member said that State Transport Services buses are in service in a few numbers which are insufficient to cater to the needs of government servants, workers of private sector and general public. Private buses are also not allowed to make services, citing Covid 19 spread.
Govt servants and private workers are unable to reach work places/offices due to shortage of public transport services. Similarly, ferry services between Chatham and Bambooflat and Dundas Point are also curtailed to a few trips, causing unexplainable difficulties to the people commuting daily between Port Blair and various South Andaman areas. It is a regular feature in the Chatham and Bambooflat to see long queues of passengers to board the ferry.
People are forced to stand in the scorching sun and rain in the queue which is inhuman and violation of human rights, he said. Buses and ferry vessels can ply in sufficient number by observing the Covid 19 guidelines to ease the difficulties being faced by the people. CPI (M) is of the opinion that curtailing the bus/ferry services will not be the sole remedy for containing the spread of COVID 19 infections, he added.
