Ganeshan & Vikramadittya
Port Blair, Dec 13: Mr. Shantanu Thakur, the Union Minister of State, Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, GOI who reached Baratang yesterday night, later met the agitating members of Baratang Tourist Fiber Boat Owners Association at around 10.30 PM. The Minister reportedly assured the members of BTFBOA to take up this issue in an appropriate level.
Meanwhile, the agitation of BTFBOA today completed 9th Day today. On December 05, 2021, the Baratang Tourist Fiber Boat Owners Association (BTFBOA) began an indefinite peaceful protest at Baratang Jetty to press various long pending demands of the Association but since 12 December 2021, the BTFBOA decided to stage relay hunger strike.
According to reports, from today, the agitating members of BTFBOA have also stopped services to visiting tourists, causing huge inconvenience to those tourists who reached Baratang on their own.
Fighting for some genuine demands, the BTFBOA has been demanding to reinstate the Convoys between Jirkatang & Middle Strait as it was before Covid-19 pandemic; removing limit of vehicles in each convoy, which is restricting tourist footfall in Baratang Island; Revoking the mandate of taking 1-day prior permission from concerned Deputy Commissioners of South and North & Middle Andaman; expediting the process for registration/renewal of our fiber boats; one-time Registration of Fiber Boat at DC Office Mayabunder; withdrawing berthing charges on discarded vessels; Two separate lines at Ferrargunj for Covid Test one for passengers with single vaccine dose and one for double dose and to conduct Covid test for Middle Andaman visit one day ago.
