John Wilbert
Port Blair, July 18: Since last nearly six years in several occasions Islanders read about the progress of building of 400 passenger capacity ship for Andaman, named as MV Mayabunder, in government run newspaper.
Till 2014, not only there were interviews about the development is MV Mayabunder building works but also there were speeches in state functions and assurances that the ship will be delivered soon. The hope was kept alive so that Islanders do not come out in open to protest.
But slowly Islanders had understood that the dream of having MV Mayabunder will never become a reality. It is now officially declared too, that the shipyard where the ship was being built is incapable of delivering the ship.
Andaman Sheekha has exclusive photographs of MV Mayabunder’s grave site, which is enough to show how tax payers’ money is siphoned off by decision makers and how dreams and needs of Islanders are taken for granted.
In between there was huge controversy over payment of more than half of money even when the work for building of the ship was halted.
In 2013 the MP had written a complaint letter to the then President of India pointing out that the cost of building the ship was Rs. 63 crores in 2001 and the local Administration had released nearly Rs. 55 Crores to the shipyard M/s Alcock Ashdown, Gujarat Ltd., out of which some portions of the amount was released even after the work was halted. The million dollar question is where did things go wrong and why so much money in advance was released for the shipyard? What is the present value of Rs. 55 crores already paid to the shipyard for nothing?
When contacted the Director of Shipping Services, Capt Rajinder Kumar assured Andaman Sheekha that the Administration will recover the amount with penalty.
He said that as the shipyard was unable to build the ship, department formed a technical team, which saw the ship and decided to terminate the project.
“The administration will recover the fund with penalty, which is according to terms and conditions,” the Director said.
Now the questions remain are, when and how much money will be recovered by Administration? Will details of this recovery amount be shared with public? Who will pay for the loss of these six years during which people of these Islands, especially those who are living and serving in Nicobar District, who suffered inhuman misery?
