Port Blair, Mar. 28: The practice of scheduling a Public Hearing only on Tuesdays at 1130 hrs was started in 2013, with the view to facilitating Islanders to personally convey their grievances to the Lt. Governor. There have been frequent representations that the Hearings being fixed rigidly on a specific day and time is not convenient, as many residents, on account of their employment and other requirements, are unable to attend the same. Also, on account of outstation travel requirements of the Lt Governor and other commitments in some instances, the Hearings have had to be cancelled; thus delaying the process of being heard. Further, the Public Hearings being confined to Port Blair, other Islanders who constitute roughly half the population are denied this opportunity.
The practice of holding Public Hearings only on Tuesdays at a fixed time is therefore being modified, to facilitate a larger cross section of residents. The Public Hearings will henceforth be scheduled in a more flexible manner, on different days of the week and at different times. This will be notified to the members of the public, sufficiently in advance. Public Hearings will also be conducted in other places in A&N Islands, with notifications sufficiently in advance.
The next Public Hearing at Port Blair will be held on 5th April, 2018 at 3 PM.
