Port Blair, Sept 22: The Lt. Governor, A&N Islands, Prof. Jagdish Mukhi laid the foundation stone for construction of Modern Fish Market, Mohanpura by unveiling the plaque at Fish Market, Mohanpura here this morning. The Member of Parliament, Shri Bishnu Pada Ray, Chief Secretary, A&N Administration, Shri Anindo Majumdar, PBMC Chairperson, Shri B. Eswar Rao, newly elected PBMC Chairperson, Shri IP Singh, Secretary, Fisheries, Shri Ramesh Verma and Ward Councilor, Smti E. Rani were present on this occasion. The programme was also attended by other senior officers of the Administration, Officers from Fisheries Department, Fisher folks and PRI members. The Lt. Governor also inspected the model of the upcoming modern fish market on display at the site. Port Blair, Sept 22: The Lt. Governor, A&N Islands, Prof. Jagdish Mukhi laid the foundation stone for construction of Modern Fish Market, Mohanpura by unveiling the plaque at Fish Market, Mohanpura here this morning. The Member of Parliament, Shri Bishnu Pada Ray, Chief Secretary, A&N Administration, Shri Anindo Majumdar, PBMC Chairperson, Shri B. Eswar Rao, newly elected PBMC Chairperson, Shri IP Singh, Secretary, Fisheries, Shri Ramesh Verma and Ward Councilor, Smti E. Rani were present on this occasion. The programme was also attended by other senior officers of the Administration, Officers from Fisheries Department, Fisher folks and PRI members. The Lt. Governor also inspected the model of the upcoming modern fish market on display at the site.
Addressing the gathering, the Lt. Governor said, the foundation stone laying ceremony for Modern Fish Market at Mohanpura today is another landmark event for the Department of Fisheries. He said, A&N Islands is making steadfast progress in various sectors which will lead to creation of more employment opportunities and increase in per capita income of the people of these Islands.
The Lt. Governor stated that the Administration is giving more thrust on two important sectors viz. Tourism & Fisheries, as they form the most basic source of employment. He also informed that the Tourism sector has witnessed tremendous improvement during the past one year with 40% increase in tourist footfall here in the Islands. With the increasing number of tourist visiting the Islands, the opportunities for self employment have also increased manifold, he said, urging the Islanders to embrace self employment and make use of the opportunities and not be solely dependent on Govt. jobs.
The Lt Governor said the country’s economy is booming and the Govt. is trying its best to ensure that everyone gets the opportunity to lead a good life and have access to decent standard of living; however, the problem of unemployment persists and can only be solved when people embrace self employment. He also expressed gratitude to the Central Government for sanctioning huge funds for the development of the A&N Islands.
The Lt. Governor further informed that in order to meet the growing needs of the tourists visiting the Islands, the Administration has taken steps to construct 150 tented accommodations in different parts of the Islands which will be ready by Oct 15, 2017. He also highlighted about the ‘Bed & Breakfast’ scheme of the Tourism Department and stated that many Islanders have come forward and have registered themselves and are opening up their homes to the tourists. “The concept of ‘Home Stay’ is quite alluring and tourists love to spend time with families and this way they will get to experience the culture and tradition of the Islands”, he said, asking the Islanders to make best use of the bed & breakfast scheme.
The Lt. Governor further stated that with the increase in the flow of tourists to the Islands, the frequency of flights have also increased manifold thereby leading to decrease in air fare which is benefitting the Islanders to a great extent. He also informed that five new additional flights will start operating by this October, some of which will directly connect Port Blair to Delhi while some will have connecting facility.
Speaking about the Fisheries sector, the Lt. Governor stated that the Department of Fisheries is making remarkable progress. There is a need to strengthen the Fisheries Sector by ensuring that required facilities are made available to the fisher folk community. He also informed about the Junglighat Modern fish Market which will soon be inaugurated. Besides the construction of Modern Fish Market, facilities for storage of fish such as Ice Plants, Fish Landing Centres are also being looked into by the Fisheries Department. He further stated that deep sea fishing needs to be tapped properly and the Administration has taken various steps in this direction by encouraging Tuna fishing here in Isles water. He also informed about the stakeholders meet which was held at Cochin recently for investors across the country which received tremendous response. The Lt. Governor also expressed hope that with more thrust being given to ‘Blue Revolution’, foreign vessels too can come and indulge in deep sea fishing here in the Islands’ water; thereby providing more employment opportunities to Islanders.
The Lt. Governor also threw light on the notable steps taken by the Administration for the development of the Islands during the last one year. He said social issues such as excess consumption of alcohol have disrupted the peaceful life of many households. Keeping in view the welfare of the people, the Administration has taken certain measures which received tremendous support from the Islanders; especially the womenfolk, he said, adding that this year, as per the data of Directorate of Prohibition, liquor consumption has decrease by 30%. He said the Directorate of Prohibition is creating awareness through posters, street plays, symposiums and debates to make people aware of the ill-effects of alcohol and tobacco products. He also outlined the various schemes available for the Islanders and urged them to make best use of the schemes.
The Lt. Governor also called upon the Islanders to work in tandem with the Administration and progress towards a better future of the Islands. He also lauded the Member of Parliament for his constant efforts in ensuring the development of the Islands.
Speaking on the occasion, the Member of Parliament informed about the approval of the Administration for implementation of 1/30th pay+ DA for the DRMs in various Departments and revision of minimum wages for employees working in different schedules of employment (skilled, semi skilled and unskilled). He thanked the Lt. Governor for ordering the implementation of 1/30th pay+ DA for the DRMs in various Departments and revision of minimum wages. He also lauded the Department of Fisheries for meeting the various demands of the fishing community and said with two modern fish markets one each at Junglighat and Mohanpura, the fish vendors will have hygienic environment which will benefit them to a great extent. He also lauded the A&N Administration under the leadership of the Lt. Governor for striving hard to take the Islands towards the path of development. The Administration has been giving wide publicity for promotion of Isles Tourism and today we can see the progress, he added. He also informed that with the help of the Petroleum Ministry and the Administration, a diesel outlet has been opened at Junglighat Fisheries jetty from where the fish vendors can purchase diesel at reasonable price, without going to other petrol pumps.
The MP also informed that the Ministry of Road Transport & Highway, GoI, New Delhi has released a fund to the tune of Rs. 50 crore under Annual Plan during the financial year of 2017-18 for rehabilitation and up-gradation of 64 .40 km roads (NH-223) passing through Jarawa reserved forest of A&N Islands besides another fund of Rs. 1033.26 lakhs has been released to the UT of A&N Islands under Central Road Fund in the current financial year of 2017-18 for construction of rural road and bridges. He disclosed that in the first phase the part of the ATR passing through the Jarawa Reserve area from Jirkatang to Middle Strait and Parlobzig Jarawa Reserve will soon be taken up for repair works. He also clarified that the ATR will remain open for both Islanders and tourists along with the functioning of alternate seat route. He further informed about the visit of the Minister for Road Transport and Highways, Shri Nithin Gadkari to these Islands on Oct 5. He said the day is not far when these Islands will make discernable progress in every sector.
In his address, the Chief Secretary said keeping in view the need of quality fish for the consumers, the Administration has proposed to construct two hygienic Fish Markets at Junglighat and Mohanpura. In this regard, the Department of Fisheries has approached National Fisheries Development Board (NFDB), Hyderabad for architectural drawing and funding. The fish market at Junglighat is nearing completion, he said.
Elaborating on the modern fish market to come up at Mohanpura, the Chief Secretary said, it will be a double storied building with a plinth area of 720 sq.mtrs in which 50 outlets will be constructed on the ground floor and 8 outlets for dry fish vendors on the first floor. The design of the fish market has been made to meet the requirement of hygienic conditions while there will be a chilling unit inside the market where fish vendors can store their left out fish for subsequent marketing besides facilities like electronic weighing machine compartment where consumers can check the weight of the fish they purchase, he added.
The Chief Secretary further informed that the Department of Fisheries is also developing facilities for preservation of fish and fishery products by establishing cold storages and ice plants at various places. The work for ice plant at Panighat is under progress and installation of plant and machinery for 10 ton capacity ice plant will commence soon. The Department of Fisheries is also implementing various Central Sector Scheme ‘Blue Revolution’ which was launched by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, he said. Accordingly, the Department has initiated action to achieve necessary goal in implementation of the Blue Revolution in A&N Islands which will further strengthened the fisheries sector in the Islands, he said.
Earlier, welcoming the gathering, the Secretary, Fisheries, Shri Ramesh Verma informed that the Department of Fisheries have constructed a modern fish market at Junglighat which is nearing completion and will soon be inaugurated. Giving details of the project cost of the Mohanpura Fish Market, the Secretary said the total cost of the project is Rs. 175.08 lakh, of which 55% funding i.e. Rs. 96.29 lakh shall be funded by NFDB, Hyderabad and the balance 45% of the expenditure shall be met by the A&N Administration. This project will be completed within 18 month, he said adding that the modern fish market here will have all the required facilities for the fish vendors and quality fish will be made available to the consumers. The Department of Fishers will also ensure that other parts of the Islands also get similar facilities; he said adding that out of the 19 Fish Landing Centres, so far, seven fish landing centres have been completed while the remaining 12 will also come up gradually. He further informed that this year, five more fish landing centres will be constructed.
The programme concluded with the vote of thanks proposed by the Director, Fisheries, Dr. Utpal Kumar Sar.
