Sri Vijaya Puram, Aug. 2: Expressing concern over the disruption of e-commerce services in the Andaman & Nicobar Islands, social and political leader Mr. John Robert Babu, District Congress President of ANTCC has appealed to the A&N Administration and the Andaman Nicobar Chamber of Commerce & Industry (ANCCI) to urgently intervene and resolve the issue, which he said has left thousands of local youth without work and caused inconvenience to island consumers.
Speaking to the media, Mr. John Robert Babu said that for the past several days, his office has been receiving numerous calls and representations from residents regarding the suspension of services by major e-commerce platforms.
He alleged that the disruption has severely affected the livelihood of many unemployed island youth who were working as delivery agents and delivery executives for these platforms. According to him, these young people had become self-employed through delivery services and were earning enough to support their families. However, with the suspension of deliveries, many have suddenly been left without any source of income.
“At a time when unemployment in the Andaman & Nicobar Islands is already a serious concern and employment opportunities are limited, many local youth had managed to become self-reliant by working as delivery agents. Today, they are sitting at home without work, making it difficult for them to run their households,” he said.
Mr. John Robert Babu said that based on the information available to him, the disruption may be linked to the increase in air cargo charges following the rise in airfares and the withdrawal of several flights operating to the Islands. He said that with limited flight connectivity, airlines are reportedly unable to accommodate the required cargo volume, affecting the supply chain of e-commerce companies.
He urged the Administration to take up the matter with the concerned authorities and requested the Andaman Nicobar Chamber of Commerce & Industry to pursue the issue on priority so that normal services could be restored at the earliest.
The leader also appealed to the ruling BJP leaders, including State President Mr. Anil Tiwari, to give equal importance to issues affecting the livelihood of islanders.
“There are many local issues that require immediate attention. Thousands of youth are facing uncertainty because of the suspension of these services. I request the ruling party to take up this issue seriously and work towards finding a solution,” he said.
Highlighting the dependence of island residents on online shopping, Mr. John Robert Babu said that due to the limited availability of many products in the Islands, a large number of families rely on e-commerce platforms to purchase essential goods, books, household items and other products not readily available in local markets. The disruption, he added, has therefore affected not only delivery workers but also thousands of consumers across the Islands.
He called upon the Administration, the Chamber of Commerce and all concerned stakeholders to work together to resolve the issue at the earliest so that e-commerce services resume, local jobs are protected and the inconvenience being faced by island residents comes to an end.
