Port Blair, Sept 08: Grandmaster Tejas Bakre, one of India’s top chess players, professional chess coach and FIDE Senior Trainer will be visiting Port Blair on 9th September 2024. In this regard, ANCA will be organizing a Chess Simul Event at Hotel Lemon Tree, Port Blair at 5:30 PM. The event will be followed by an exclusive interaction session with parents.
This is a great opportunity for budding chess players in the Andaman & Nicobar Islands to see Grandmaster Bakre in action as he simultaneously takes on multiple opponents in the simul. The interactive session will also allow parents and players to ask questions and get helpful advice on chess training and improvement.
With limited seats available, rated players will be given first priority to participate in the simul. Parents and rated players interested in attending the interaction session with GM Tejas Bakre are encouraged to register at the earliest.
For registration, please contact G Sudha, Office Executive, ANCA over Phone 99332 17055. Hurry Up! Seats are limited, so don’t miss out on this incredible opportunity to meet a Grandmaster and enhance your chess experience.

Rabindranath Biswas

Shore Point, Sept. 06: The normal life of the people of Shore Point is being severely paralysed with the erratic power supply in the areas.

According to information, after every 1-2 hours, and/or at highly irregular intervals, there is a prolonged power cut in their area which puts the people of Shore Point in real trouble.

Talking to Andaman Sheekha Daily, Mr. Balakrishna, Pradhan, Shore Point said: “The power outage is unscheduled and protracted and which puts the residents in the area into vexatious situation to experience as their works are awfully interrupted by this frequent and irregular power supply”. He attributed the situation to insufficient transformers in the areas.

However, whenever the Pradhan raised the issue of load shedding in the area, the concerned Junior Engineer of the Electricity Department reportedly gave him empty assurances that the power outage issue would be resolved soon, but there is no progress in the situation as yet, residents are still facing the wrath of the unscheduled and prolonged power outage, Mr. Balakrishna said.

Taking great exception to the alleged failure of the Electricity Department’s infrastructure in the areas, the Pradhan further said that the streetlights installed in different wards in the area have been lying dysfunctional for a long time for the want of repair. And as a result of which the situation has become grimmer as it is the rainy season and residents are prone to snake-bite, centipede-stung etc.

Furthermore, stray dogs and animals roaming freely, especially on interior roads, also become a major threat when there is no light, the Pradhan said. Mr. Balakrishna submitted the estimate for purchase of street lights at the office of the Assistant Engineer, Electricity Department, Shore Point about 4-5 months ago, but the estimate hasn’t been reportedly signed by the AE as yet, he alleged.

The AE is reportedly unpunctual who failed to keep his promise in forwarding the estimate; while, the worst-case scenarios are that the EE’s chair is void of the Executive Engineer for a long time, the Pradhan further alleged. As such, the Pradhan is not reportedly in a condition to float tender for AMC (Annual maintenance contract) for street lights, he said.

On the other hand, the Pradhan is confused as to how to handle situations; the residents in the area continually reproach him for not being able to set things right, he said.

Rabindranath Biswas
Little Andaman/Diglipur, Sept. 05: Stray cattle destroying crops are increasingly turning into an unmanageable nightmare for horticulturists and vegetable cultivators in rural areas and in towns in Little Andaman.
According to information, the stray cattle menace has become a direct threat to the cultivation of various crops, vegetables, horticulture etc in Little Andaman.
Talking to Andaman Sheekha Daily, Shri Parimal Ch. Mondal, Pradhan, Gram Panchayat Vivekanandapur, Little Andaman said that stray cattle have become a real headache for every horticulturist and vegetable cultivator who are now waging a war against these abandoned cattle.
Herds of feral cows and bulls come out of nowhere at night and invade their horticulture and vegetable fields/farms in a big way, claimed Shri Parimal Ch. Mondal. Large groups of these animals completely ravage the fields they enter in, leaving no scope of defence for the horticulturists and vegetable cultivators, the Pradhan said. The abandoned cattle destroy flower plants of various types, small banana plants, areca nut plants etc and also prey on vegetables and wipe out the entire plot of vegetable plants in one stroke and then return to their hideouts, he rued. The Pradhan attributed the blame to those cattle farmers who reportedly abandon their cows after milking and then these cows form the herds of feral cows who then invade the fields and ravage the plants. These feral cows and bulls that are reportedly not less than 100-150 in a herd also severely damage the kitchen gardens as well; erecting railing/fencing around the field and kitchen garden prove to be futile as these stray cattle break open the fencing and wreak havoc on the plants and vegetables, the Pradhan said. Encapsulating the stray cattle menace, Shri Parimal Ch. Mondal said that feral cows and bulls have become a real headache for horticulturists and vegetable growers and they are not seeing any concrete initiative from the administration to be aimed at beating the menace of these stray cattle.
The Pradhan further said that tagging the cattle would be a step forward to alleviate the problem to some extent, but it is going to end the menace of stray cattle completely, he argued. However, the Pradhan said that the concerned department should initiate tagging of cattle in every village, and at the same time the Administration should come out with a permanent solution to completely do away with the stray cattle menace, he further said.

Port Blair, Sep 05: Excitement is building across the Andaman and Nicobar Islands as Dr. Shobhika Shree, a highly accomplished doctor from the region, is set to appear on the renowned quiz show *Kaun Banega Crorepati* (KBC) on September 6th, 2024. The much-anticipated episode will air at 9 PM on Sony TV.
Dr. Shree, the first doctor from the Andaman and Nicobar Islands to clear the UPSC Combined Medical Exam, has made significant strides in her career, serving at the National Organ and Tissue Transplant Organization (NOTTO). Her inspiring journey began as a student in the first batch of ANIMS (Andaman Medical College), and she went on to serve in remote areas such as Rangat, North and Middle Andaman.
Her upcoming appearance on KBC has generated excitement and pride among the residents of her home state, who are eagerly awaiting her turn on the national stage. After passing a tough selection process, which included a written test and video audition, Dr. Shree is now set to compete in the “Fastest Finger First” round, with the opportunity to reach the coveted hot seat.
Her parents, Mr. Binu Kumar, a respected police officer, and Mrs. Sajitha, a dedicated school teacher, are overjoyed by their daughter’s achievements. “Shobhika has always made us proud, and seeing her reach this stage is an incredible moment for our family. We can’t wait to watch her on KBC,” shared Mr. Binu Kumar.
Dr. Shree’s younger sister, Keerthika, has been a constant pillar of support, inspiring her throughout her remarkable journey. The bond between the two sisters is a driving force behind Dr. Shree’s achievements.
Her husband, Dr. Nitin, expressed his pride as well, saying, “Shobhika’s hard work and determination have always been a source of inspiration. Seeing her take on this new challenge on KBC makes us all proud, and I’m confident she’ll perform brilliantly.”
Be sure to tune in to Sony TV on September 6th at 9 PM to witness Dr. Shobhika Shree represent the Andaman and Nicobar Islands on the KBC stage!

Port Blair, Sep 04: The South Andaman Area Committee of CPI (M) has begun the programme of Panchayat Visit with a view to interact with the general public and to know the issues and problems of the people in each area of the rural South Andaman. On 01.09.2024, a group of CPI (M) leaders and sympathizers led by State Secretary D. Ayyappan visited various parts of Hope Town Gram Panchayat and interacted with a cross section of the people. Party leaders met a number of old Party Workers and sought their suggestions to revive the party’s activities in the Hope Town Panchayat area. Once a stronghold of the Party, Hope Town now faces a number of issues. Villagers expressed their concern to the CPI (M) Secretary that a large area at Hope Town is likely to be acquired by the Administration for the proposed expansion of LPG bottling plant and other developmental works. Fishermen settlers and others have complained to the CPI (M) leaders that the Administration has not even spoken to the villagers on the proposed acquisition of land and displacement of the villagers. CPI (M) leaders observed that many of the rural roads and footpaths in the Hope Town Gram Panchayat area are in deplorable condition as the Gram Panchayat and Administration failed to undertake repair works. CPI (M) Secretary and other leaders also met Smt VD Leju, social worker of the area and held discussion with her on various issues.
CPI (M) leaders D. Laxman Rao and Dr Gouranga Majhi, Mr. Sudeesh, Panchayat Member and a number of Party sympathizers accompanied the State Secretary during the visit.