John Wilbert
Port Blair, July 18: Some of the remote Islands of Nicobar Groups of Islands, situated extreme South of India, are facing acute shortage of fuel.
The Nicobar Chamber of Commerce and Industry (NCCI) has now urged the Andaman and Nicobar Administration to urgently Intervene into this matter and find out some immediate solutions so that tribal people living in those difficult and remote Islands can lead a normal life.
“Earlier tribal people of Nancowry Groups of Islands used to use hodi (traditional dinghy) but now most of the people use engine dinghy for transportation from one Island to the other, in nearby areas, for which fuel is required,” said Mr. Rashid Yusuf, the President of Nicobar Chamber of Commerce and Industry (NCCI).
He alleged that shortage of fuel means people can’t go for fishing, student face problem in reaching schools and also government servants face difficulties in performing their duties. “Even it becomes difficult to shift serious patient to hospitals in other Islands. This is a serious issue and must be dealt in priority,” Mr. Rashid added.
Even the Non-Gazetted Government Officers’ Association of Andaman has raised serious concern on this issue because fuel shortage is also causing problems to the government servants working in remote Islands.
“Shortage of fuel is a serious problem. Whenever fuel is available one can see several KM long queue for fuel. This is basic duty of Administration to ensure that fuel is available all the time in remote Islands, only then government servant can fearlessly go to remote Nicobar Group of Islands for serving after transfer,” said Mr. T.S.Sreekumar, the General Secretary of Non-Gazetted Government Officers’ Association, A& N Islands.
Meanwhile Mr. Henry, from Nicobari Tribal Community, who contested the recent Lok Sabha Elections as Independent Candidate, has also urged the Administration to look into this matter urgently.
“Whenever fuel arrives in Nicobar everyone has to go for procuring the same because there is a long gap of nearly one and half month for arrival of next consignment of fuel. This gap is biggest problem and I have been told this delay is because of the agencies who are responsible for transportation of fuel in Nicobar Group of Islands,” said Mr. Henry.
Nicobar Group of Islands are the Southern part of Andaman and Nicobar Islands. Car Nicobar is the headquarter of Nicobar Group of Islands and Great Nicobar is the last landmass of Indian Territory.
