Staff Correspondent
Port Blair, Mar 18: The delegation of Andaman Farmers and Officials of Agriculture Department, which was on a study tour to Sikkim, reportedly met with a road accident at New Jalpaiguri area in West Bengal.
According to reports, the delegation was divided into two groups. One of the group consisting mostly officials had already booked train tickets to their destination, while the other failed to book railway tickets on time.
After failed attempts to book train tickets, the second group decided to travel by road to Sikkim via New Jalpaiguri. But their vehicle met with a road accident in the area. According to reports some people on the vehicles got injuries while one lady, who is the government servant, suffered serious injuries in the mishap, while others managed to escape with minor injuries.
The administration is responsible for the safety of delegations deputed on tours to different parts of India and for making necessary travel arrangements. But in the instant case, the administration fell flat on both counts.
When Andaman Sheekha tried to seek details of the accident, senior officials refused to part with any information.
However, the Secretary of Agriculture Department, Mrs R Menaka spoke to Andaman Sheekha. She said that necessary steps are being taken to ensure the safe return of the delegation to Sikkim. She however, denied reports that anyone suffered serious injuries in the road accident. “Only one person got minor injuries,” She said.
However, Andaman Sheekha, however, has concrete evidence that one lady in the delegation fractured her left leg in the road accident.
This incident leaves many questions unanswered. Why the delegation was divided into two groups? Why the first group was in so much rush to reach Sikkim? Why all travel arrangements were not done at Port Blair?

DJ Venkatesh
Diglipur, Mar 12: Nearly 6 Wild Elephants are on rampage at Ganesh Nagar area of Diglipur. It has been learnt that these elephants have totally destroyed the house of Mr. Rakhal Chandra Dey at Ganesh Nagar.
Fortunately Mr. Dey and his family members were at Port Blair when Elephant destroyed their house.
According to Mr. Rakhal Chandra Dey last year also his house was damaged by Elephants. He added that his Beetle Leave plantation has also been ransacked by Elephants. The matter was complained to the DFO and Assistant Commissioner of Diglipur area.

D J Venkatesh
Port Blair, Mar 17: While the civic body has pledged itself to make Port Blair an Open Defecation Free City as part of the Swachh Bharat Mission, the insanitary practice continues unabated in several pockets in Diglipur, North Andaman. The village most plagued by the menace is Naveen Nagar where large people can be seen defecating in the open along the banks of Kalpong river.
Constructing toilets in their homes doesn’t appear to be priority for some of the Naveen Nagar villagers even as the Andaman Public Works Department and the District Administration have been ignoring the insanitary practice for decades.
According to reports, large number of the habitation in Naveen Nagar area is on encroached land and villagers reside in houses without toilets. Ironically, open defecation in the area is predominant near the Pumping Station to the treatment plant from where water is supplied to various parts in Diglipur.
Though rules prohibit open defecation under the Prohibition of Employment as Manual scavengers and their Rehabilitation Act 2013, the administration for unknown reasons has so far failed to impose the act in the area which poses a serious sanitation and health hazard for thousands of people of Diglipur.
“As a large number of population in Naveen Nagar resides in houses constructed in encroached land, they don’t consider constructing toilets at homes as important. Open defecation along the sides of Kalpong river has been continuing for decades, but no action has been taken against such people. Moreover, poverty and lack of awareness among the villagers are among other reasons behind in the insanitary practice in the area. Such open defecation near a water body that caters to thousands of residents of Diglipur is a serious health hazard and the administration should take immediate steps to address it,” said some Diglipur residents.
The government has a target to make India “Open Defecation Free” by 2019 and UNICEF India is a key partner in the flagship programme, Swachh Bharat Mission. At a time when the Port Blair Municipal Council is working on mission-mode to make the city Open Defecation Free, the District Administration of the North and Middle Andaman Region should collaborate with Panchayats of North Andaman to sensitize people on the importance of sanitation and motivate them to construct toilets in their homes.

Francis Ekka
Port Blair, Mar 17: The Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) is set for a major force augmentation in these islands. According to reports, the CISF has plans to deploy an additional force of 100 personnel to ensure security of vital installations in these islands.
Disclosing the development during the CISF Day celebration recently, the Chief Port Administrator, Mr DR Tripathi said the augmentation of the CISF strength in these islands will bolster the safety of several installations and islanders will be benefited directly.
“The first phase of the force augmentation has got the approval of the Administration. The increase in the CISF strength will ensure proper security of airports and Ports in different parts of these islands,” Mr Tripathi added.
CISF in Andaman is presently doing wonderful job by providing round the clock protection to various vital installations of these Islands.

Kayenat Islam
Port Blair, March 17: Even as flagrant violation of MRP (Maximum Retail Price) has become rampant in different parts of these islands, the Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs Department remains lethargic in containing the violation. Almost every grocery store in the city and elsewhere charges an additional Rs 2/- on cold drinks and packed drinking water particularly trading near tourist spots and beaches, but the government agency has exhibited failure in reining in the violators as a stricter norm to stop overcharging remains far from ensured.
According to reports, charging above MRP on any product including transportation is an offence under the Central Law of Metrology Act provisions. Any retailer violating the law is liable to be slapped with a fine of Rs 2,000. Contrary to the rules, retailers justify the act of overcharging on claims that they spend extra money on storage, transportation etc notwithstanding government rules which specifically state that the distributor and retailers are responsible for the charges of refrigeration as the cost is already included in the MRP.
“What worries more for the consumers is that they even don’t know about the authority to be contacted to report such violations. They are forced to pay extra to the retail shopkeepers in the absence of strict norms to deal with such violation. In case, the consumer argue or threaten the retailers to approach the Consumer Court, they are laughed at by the shopkeepers,” say some consumer activists.
Recently a resident of Goal Ghar has sent a complaint letter to the Secretary of Civil Supplies attracting her attention towards probable MRP Tempering in Andamans. Pointing out towards a particular brand of Aata of a reputed company, the complainant said that the said Aata conts Rs. 36 in Mainland India in any retail shop but the same Aata in same packet, when reaches Andaman the MRP is changed to Rs. 46. She alleged that some local businessmen are illegally tempering MRP on various commodities. Sadly it is still now known what action has been taken in this regard by the Secretary of Civil Supplies. When Andaman Sheekha checked the rate of same Aata in a local grocery shop, it was Rs. 46 even today.
The Secretary, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs, Smt Rashmi Krishnan said that the department is fully aware of the MRP violations being reported from different parts of these islands.
“Regular inspections are conducted to stop the illegal practice by retail shopkeepers. Recently 7-8 cases of overcharging was registered at Havelock and penalty of about Rs 40,000 was imposed on violators. Similar raids are also conducted in the city at regular intervals,” she said adding that plans are afoot to set up a dedicated Enforcement Unit at Port Blair to put a curb on such MRP violations.
One questions that will imposing fine on 7-8 shops only, that too in a remote Islands will be enough to control the menace of MRP Tempering and overcharging.

Sarthak Kanjilal
Port Blair, Mar 16: Hopeful of better services after inclusion in the city limits, residents of six newly created Municipal Wards are now venting ire against the civic body for its failure to address water concerns in their areas.
According to reports, dirty water supplied by the Municipal Council to households in all the six Wards have become a cause of grave concern for the population. Left with no other option but to consume the polluted water, swell in vector-borne diseases has been reported from all the six newly created Wards.
Claiming that services in the six Wards have only deteriorated since inclusion in Municipal limits, several residents of Ward no. 23, speaking to Andaman Sheekha said that the dirty water supplied to households is not even fit for bathing, leave along drinking.
“We’re having no other option than to consume this dirty water supplied through pipelines. Our children fall ill at regular intervals after consuming the contaminated water. Some people use packaged drinking water, while majority of the population in this Ward are forced to consume the water supplied by the civic body.”
“The situation was better when the newly created Municipal Wards were under the control of Panchayats. Water charges were low and fairly clean water was supplied to the households. After becoming Municipal Wards, the situation has worsened. Water charges have been increased and the quality of water supplied has deteriorated. Lack of staff in the Andaman Public Works Department is the main reason behind the situation as the existing staffs regularly pump untreated water to the households in the six Wards,” say some others.
Speaking to Andaman Sheekha, the Councillor of Ward no. 23, Mr Sanjay Meshack admitted supply of water unfit for human consumption in his constituency. “During the recently held District Planning Committee meeting, the Administration claimed that no water related issues existed in any of the Municipal Wards. But this is absolutely false propaganda. It was assured that services will improve after the areas come under city limits. But in this case, it has gone the other way. In fact the situation has got worse and residents are forced to bear with poor water services,” he said.

Sarthak Kanjilal
Port Blair, March 16: A massive tree damaged the roof of a house at Sippighat when it fell this morning at around 09:05am onto the private house, crushing the sheet of the house.
A girl namely Priya, who was standing at Veranda of the house, suffered minor injuries when she was trying to run away out of fear.
The girl was immediately rushed to the nearby Garacharma Hospital.
On information a team of Fire Brigade personnel reached the spot and cleared the area.