Sri Vijaya Puram, September 10: Living On The Edge (LOTE), an organisation working in the Andaman & Nicobar Islands, has urged the Andaman & Nicobar Administration to undertake a comprehensive assessment and restructuring of government offices, establishments and manpower deployment across the Islands in view of significant demographic, geographical and socio-economic changes over the past two to three decades.
In a letter dated September 10, 2026, Mr. Abhay Kumar, President of Living On The Edge (LOTE), wrote to the Chief Secretary, Andaman & Nicobar Administration, Sri Vijaya Puram, seeking a fresh, evidence-based assessment of the existing government administrative structure, including the location of offices, sanctioned strength and deployment of government employees across various departments.
The letter stated that the present organisational structure is largely based on assessments and structural formations undertaken nearly 25–30 years ago. Since then, population distribution, settlement patterns, transportation connectivity, administrative requirements and public service demands across the Islands have changed considerably.
LOTE has requested the Administration to assess the present population and demographic distribution of each inhabited island, tehsil and major settlement, along with the existing location and jurisdiction of government offices and field establishments. It has also sought an assessment of the sanctioned strength, actual deployment and vacancy position in each department.
The organisation further called for an evaluation of workload and public-service demand at each establishment based on current population and geographical requirements, as well as the adequacy of manpower in remote and geographically difficult areas.
The letter proposed rationalisation of existing offices and the creation, relocation or upgradation of establishments wherever required. It also sought cadre restructuring and revision of sanctioned posts based on present-day requirements rather than historical staffing patterns.
LOTE emphasised the need for improved decentralisation of essential government services to ensure equitable access for residents of remote and outer islands. It also called for department-wise determination of appropriate staffing patterns by taking into account population, workload, geographical spread, accessibility and future requirements.
According to the organisation, a comprehensive reassessment could help identify areas where manpower and administrative infrastructure are inadequate, as well as establishments where the existing deployment may no longer correspond to actual requirements. LOTE suggested that a high-level committee or appropriate administrative mechanism may be constituted to undertake a fresh, evidence-based assessment of the entire government establishment across the Andaman & Nicobar Islands.
The organisation said such a review could support restructuring, redistribution of manpower, creation or upgradation of offices and revision of sanctioned strength and help ensure that the administrative structure remains aligned with the present demographic and geographical realities of the Islands.
