Port Blair, April 29: The Lt Governor, Lt Gen AK Singh (Retd), visited Campbell Bay today. He was accompanied by the Chief Secretary and IG Coast Guard. On arrival, the Lt Governor was received by the Deputy Commissioner (Car Nicobar), officers of the Defence establishment, PRI representatives and local officers.
The Lt Governor inaugurated the newly constructed jetty at Gandhi Nagar built by the ALHW at a cost of Rs 15 crores. This will provide the much needed relief to the people of Campbell Bay as it will facilitate proper berthing of bigger vessels at Campbell Bay and also act as an alternate jetty in an emergency.
Later, he also inaugurated the Ice Plant & Cold Storage of the Fisheries Department, also constructed by the ALHW. It may be recalled that the Ice Plant & Cold Storage at Campbell Bay had been destroyed in the tsunami of 2014. The new Ice Plant of 10 ton capacity & Cold Storage facility of 15 ton capacity has been set up at a cost of Rs 5.38 crores. This modern facility will provide a big boost to the nearly 1200 fishermen operating in the area. Addressing the gathering at the function to mark the inauguration, the Lt Governor stated that there is no doubt the pace of development in the country has picked up ever since Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi has assumed the office and the A&N Islands has also witnessed unprecedented development in all sectors. He exhorted the PRI members to commit themselves for the welfare of the people and also urged the local people to engage themselves in development work by forming Self Help Groups (SHGs) and take up new opportunities. While thanking the local officers of the Administration, he asked them to work pro-actively to resolve the local issues there itself rather than wait for decisions from Port Blair. He complimented the ALHW for the good work done by them in these two projects, and expressed confidence that with the commissioning of the two projects, more economic activities will be generated, and the local community will stand to benefit. He also announced that the Administration is exploring the possibility of operating fixed wing aircraft between Port Blair – Car Nicobar-Campbell Bay. But that will be possible only after completion of the extension of the runway. He stated that the widening of the North South road will provide better connectivity to the interior areas of Great Nicobar Island.
During his visit, the Lt Governor stopped and met the villagers of Chingum settlement and heard their grievances. He asked the Chief Secretary and other officers present to immediately look into the issues raised by the people there. He assured the people of Chingum settlement that the construction of the road will be taken up soon as the clearances from the Ministry of Forest & Environment, Govt. of India has been received.
Fulfilling the commitment he had made to the ex-servicemen community a year back, the Lt Governor inaugurated the renovated building of the Sanik Sarai at Campbell Bay. He applauded the good work done by APWD in completing the work on time and fulfilling the long pending demand of the ex-servicemen community. A large gathering of the ex-servicemen, who had gathered there, on the occasion expressed their joy and thanked the Lt Governor.
The Lt Governor also visited the Coast Guard fuel plant at Campbell Bay and saw the facilities there. The IG Coast Guard, K Natarajan explained the operation of the fuel plant to him. The Lt Governor interacted with the officers of the Coast Guard at the site.
Finally, the Lt Governor concluded his visit with a meeting with the PRI representatives and the local officers. Various problems and development issues were raised in the meeting. He expressed his displeasure over the fact that most of the issues, which could resolved at the level of Deputy Commissioner and local officers are not being done. He, therefore, issued directions to them to see that they do so. On the occasion, Prof Balu Prakash of Future Research & Development Academy, Campbell Bay handed over a cheque of Rs 50,000 as his contribution to LG’s Relief Fund. The Lt Governor thanked him for the generosity.
