Saket & Muralidharan Pillai
Port Blair, Mar 31: Two rallies will be organised tomorrow one each at Hasmatabad and Mayabunder demanding proper action in Sippighat’s deadly accident, which killed first years MGG college students, Ritu Kumari.
According to reports, the first rally will be organised start from Hasmatabad at around 9.30 am and culminate at nearby Police Station while the second rally will start at 3.00 PM from Danapur and the rally will culminate at DC office of Mayabunder.
The sad incident has once again raised the question that how safe are we from the seeding private buses. The number of road accident by the private buses is on the rise and recently we have seen many tragic deaths due to these speeding buses.
The tragic road accident have left a scar on the heart of Islanders, the photographs of the injured and shattered father crying beside the body of his daughter, circulated in Watsapp, ripped thousands of heart. People are now demanding stringent action against the bus driver and strict rules for private buses.
Perhaps this is right time to impose some restrictions on the speed of these private buses or to make separate lanes for two wheelers, to save common man from such fatal road accidents.

Port Blair, Mar 30: A basic course in Japanese language commenced at JNRM today with its inauguration by the Lt. Governor, A&N Islands, Lt. Gen AK Singh (Retd.) in the auditorium of JNRM this evening. The Chief Secretary, A&N Administration, Shri Anindo Majumdar, Smt. Rupa Ray, Secretary (Education), Ms. Tanvi Garg, senior officers of the Administration, learners of Japanese language, students and Lecturers of JNRM, representatives of ACCI besides stakeholders in the tourism sector were present during the inaugural ceremony. “There is a great joy in learning new language and you will feel connected to another part of the world”, he said.
Addressing the gathering, the Lt. Governor emphasized that in today’s competitive world our students should also move forward and starting this course in the Islands is one such step in this direction. “Learning an additional language, especially a foreign language, will give our students an edge in seeking job not only in tourism sector but in other arenas too”, the Lt. Governor said. Learning any language is a great confidence building measure, he said, adding that the demand for having a course in this language here is an old one.
Emphasising the clarion call given by the Hon’ble Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi to ‘Make in India’, the Lt. Governor said “we should be able to speak the language of the foreign investors in our country”.
Speaking about the progress being made in the communication sector in the Isles and the opportunities it will bring for the Islanders, the Lt. Governor stated that by 2018 the undersea Optical Fibre Cable (OFC) from Chennai connecting Port Blair and five other Islands will become reality. The work in this regard will commence in another 5 to 6 months, he said. The Lt. Governor reiterated that with this, the Andaman and Nicobar Islands will become the best place for IT related industries and services like call centre etc. “Since our children are very good at languages, they will pick up foreign languages too, very fast, and as they are highly disciplined, they will find good job opportunities too”, he said, and called upon the youth to develop proficiency in foreign languages to prepare for 2019, by when the undersea optical fibre cable will be completely in place.
The Lt. Governor also asked the Principal, ANCOL and DBRAIT to start courses in other foreign languages in their colleges. Apart from Japanese, four more foreign languages viz. German, French, Russian, Chinese should be started in the Islands, he said. He also mentioned that owing to their hardwork and precision, Japan has come up post World War-II and asked the new learners to also understand Japanese culture and their good qualities.
Complementing all stakeholders for this initiative, the Lt. Governor also asked the Secretary (Education) to explore possibilities of providing advanced course in Japanese language to the learners.
Speaking on the occasion, the Chief Secretary, Shri Anindo Majumdar expressed happiness on the launch of this basic course in Japanese language. “It will fulfil the long felt demand of the people of the Islands to learn Japanese”, he said, emphasizing the need to learn other international languages as well. Learning foreign languages will open many job opportunities for the Islanders, the Chief Secretary said. The Chief Secretary also thanked Prof. Jayanta Misra for volunteering to teach Japanese language.
Prof. Jayanta Kr. Mishra, HoD, Marine Biology, Pondicherry University, Campus, Brookshabad, who is the resource person of this course, in his address, expressed gratitude to the Lt. Governor for starting this course. About the language, he said Japanese is a very simple language and one can learn to speak and read Japanese very easily. He expressed hope that the learners will enjoy learning the language.
A two minutes’ silence was also observed to pay respect to those who achieved martyrdom during Japanese occupation in these Islands.
Earlier welcoming the gathering, the Principal, JNRM, Dr. Francis Xavier said that arrangements to start the basic course in Japanese language in JNRM has been done within a very short span of time and assured that a course in French will be started soon. Besides, some skill development courses will also be introduced in JNRM in the coming days, he said. The students of JNRM presented a Japanese dance befitting the occasion.
The programme was coordinated by Asst. Professor, JNRM, Ms. Jochi Bed while it concluded with the vote of thanks proposed by Ms. Maseem, Member, Student Council, JNRM.

Sarthak Kanjilal
Port Blair, March 30: A team of Forest Department today released four King Cobras in the Madhuvan Forest, which were caught by the Department from various localities in recent past.
After panic calls the Forest team had visited four places i.e Indira Nagar, Japan Road and at Government Press and had caught these King Cobras.
According to sources, the team caught one female and male king cobra from Japan Road, Dairyfarm and other two male cobras from Government Press and Indira Nagar.

Staff Correspondent
Port Blair, Mar 29: There was an inauguration plaque placed outside the computer lab of GDMS (Primary) at Middle Point, which read “IT Centre Inaugurated by Lt. Governor, Lt Gen (Retd.) Bhopinder Singh, on 5th September 2007.”
The IT Centre was set up by spending several lakhs of rupees but after nearly nine years no can find where the IT Centre is.
When last time Andaman Sheekha team visited the school it was found that out of 25 computers, which were procured for the IT Centre, presently only few computers are working, almost all computer chairs are broken and computer tables are in pathetic shape.
According to reports once all of these computers used to function wonderfully well and all these PCs were connected with Broadband and LAN. For nearly three years the Lab was used for various purposes by students but slowly things changed.
In 2010 when the Education Department took over the school from TGCE, since then the computers were allegedly never repaired and the broadband lines got disconnected as bills were not paid.
Many Computers and parts have vanished in thin air and no one knows what IT Centre means now.
Similarly, a Children’s Park, set up at Govt. Demonstration Multipurpose School (GDMS), Primary, Middle Point, Port Blair nearly six years ago, spending several lakhs of rupees, today look deserted. Due to lack of maintenance and use all the equipments are gathering rust as well as dust. Once the park was bustling with children but now the park is dominated by insects. Wild grasses have grown taller than little children and hence out of fear no student of GDMS Primary, dares to venture inside the said park.
When reported about this park by Andaman Sheekha in 2013, there were some efforts to cut grasses but again grasses have grown tall. Photographs taken by Andaman Sheekha today shows that even today most of the equipments are out of order.
Both the IT Centre and the Park of the School were inaugurated by the then Lt. Governor as such high profile inauguration guarantees all the privileges but sadly there is no one to maintains equipments and devices worth several lakhs.
Why there is no inquiry against such gross wastage of public money? Is there anyone answerable in Education Department regarding such misuse of tax-payers’ money?
Public requests the Lt. Governor to pay a visit to the school to see how due to negligence government properties worth several lakhs got damaged.
Andaman Sheekha does not intend to attack one person or one department, this is a report about discrepancies in system and we hope that the Administration will take some steps so that such wastage of public money is not seen again.

Port Blair, Mar 29: The Lt. Governor, Lt. General A.K.Singh, PVSM, AVSM, SM, VSM(Rtd.) alongwith PCCF, ANI, PCCF(WL) and other senior officers of Administration visited Tarmugli Island within Mahatma Gandhi Marine National Park, Wandoor on 26.03.2016 for looking into the feasibility of opening day tourism in the Island.

During his inspection, he desired that part of Tarmugli Island should be opened for Package Tourism for limited number of tourists in the coming season under the guidelines/standards for the visitor/tourists to be laid by the Department of Environment & Forests for visiting the Tarmugli Island of National Park. This will not only create awareness/recreation among the tourists/visitors about the nature and its conservation but also provide employment opportunities to the local people. He also desired that basic bare minimum facility made of eco-friendly material to be provided for facilitating the visitors.

The Lt. Governor also asked the Forest Department that Beach cleaning exercise should be undertaken by them involving PRI Members, College students, NCC and NSS Units of colleges/schools etc periodically for maintain the serenity and pristine environment of National parks and Sanctuaries.

Sarthak Kanjilal
Port Blair, March 23: The South Andaman Zilla Parishad Adyaksha, Mrs Minoti Biswas will sit on agitation with the local unemployed CDC Holders at Tiranga Park, Aberdeen Bazaar if their demands are not fulfilled by the administration within next 15 days.
Mrs Minoti Biswas, visited the local unemployed CDC Holders today, who are staging protest at Tiranga Park, Aberdeen Bazaar, after she discussed the matter with the Lt Governor and the Director of Shipping Services.
Talking to Andaman Sheekha, Mrs Minoti said that she has discussed the matter of genuine demands of the local unemployed CDC Holders with the Lt Governor and Director of Shipping Services and during the meeting she has been assured that the Administration is working on this matter seriously.