Bureau Report
Port Blair, Dec 19: Media reports in National platforms today said that MV Nicobar, which is carrying new currencies for Andaman, was delayed for nearly a week at Kolkata port because of a strike by Forward Seamen’s Union of India.
Although the Regional Manager of SBI, A & N Islands today told Andaman Sheekha that he has no information about any cash being transferred from Kolkata to Port Blair but this entire episode has raised serious question over the system of transferring cash from Mainland India.
As per details MV Nicobar was scheduled to sail for Andaman on 14 December but due to strike by members of Forward Seamen’s Union of India the sailing was delayed.
“We have problems with the management but we have no issues with the passengers. As we got some instructions that cash has to be shifted to Port Blair and also considering the problems of passengers we allowed the ship to sail. Even in a metropolitan city we faced so much of problems after demonetisation so we understand that in small islands like Andaman how difficult things will be. We didn’t want to trouble the islanders for which we allowed the ship to sail for Port Blair. Our protest will be continued till our demands are not fulfilled,” Mr. Sumit Singha, an executive committee member of Forward Seamens Union of India, Kolkata told Andaman Sheekha over phone.
Here in Andaman, it is alleged that many private banks are not getting sufficient cash from RBI’s chest branch, which is State Bank of India, also the lead bank in Andaman.
In remote Islands the shortage of cash is even more.
People of these Islands will remember that immediately after demonetization there was severe crisis of notes of higher denomination as new notes reached Andaman very late. Forget about people of remotest Islands, who got new notes only after four to five weeks.
Highly placed sources told Andaman Sheekha that bringing cash by ship is always safe as with cash nearly 10- 15 armed jawans of Kolkata police and two staffs of SBI travels to Port Blair.
The question is why same can’t be done in aircrafts. This is pointless to argue whether MV Nicobar is having cash or not the point is why cash is being sent to Andaman only via ship when there is clear shortage of new currencies in Andaman. Andaman and Nicobar Islands being remote Islands the Administration must take up this matter with concerned agencies and ensure that sufficient amount of new currency reaches Andaman on time.
In this case the ship sailed after few days, imagine if the ship was halted for several weeks at Kolkata.
