PK Mandal & DJ Venkatesh
Mayabunder, Jan 05: The New Bus of Anand, which ferries passengers between Port Blair and Diglipur, met with an accident this morning at Basantipur, Middle Andaman. The bus went off the road with passengers and missed a huge tree narrowly.
According to details the accident took place when the steering of the new bus failed at around 9.00 am when the bus had reached near the house of Adhir Mandal of Basantipur, Middle Andaman. The bus was was coming from Hati-Level area of Diglipur towards Port Blair.
Luckily no passengers were injured. Later most of the passengers were adjusted in SS Transport Bus which was coming towards Port Blair from Diglipur while some passengers who were scared to travel again came back to Diglipur via local buses. There were about 40 passengers, when the accident occurred.

DJ Venkatesh
Diglipur, Jan 04: Taking a serious stand against encroachment the Lt. Governor had recently said that fresh encroachment will not be tolerated but in Diglipur the story seems to be totally different.
The public at Diglipur never heard of any encroachment eviction drive by the Diglipur authorities in the recent years or any advisory or phone number issued to pass any information on land grabbling.
All they heard is removing tea stalls from the main road in case any VIP movement in the name of eviction drive.
The encroachers have become so fearless that they not only encroaching APWD land but also letting out the same to others.
It is alleged that a large area of Navin Nagar is encroached by land grabbers. Encroachers in the area include high profile leaders of various political parties, including sitting and ex PRIs. They not only encroach Government land but they are also motivating and promoting the public to encroach.
Around 350-400 APWD quarters in Subhash gram and Diglipur Panchayat which are dilapidated conditions are encroached by the occupant during their service as well as after their retirement.
In the past PWD authorities never took any action against these encroachers and at present also they are keeping their eyes closed. Inaction by APWD has promoted the people to convert government quarters as their personnel property.
On the other hand Revenue authorities also seem to be taking tight nap on the excuse of shortage of Revenue staffs. Fresh encroachment and constructions are in progress near Revenue officials’ residence, which are not visible to the officials.
While retirement the occupant has to take clearance from APWD and Electricity closing of water and electricity connections for their departmental benefits but how can they are continuing with these services are better known to the authorities.
Taking experience from past the APWD should start fencing the existing quarters alongwith attached government land since the public has now started encroaching the government land adjacent quarters. Taking no legal action at the initial stage of encroachment against these encroachers may lead to legal issued in coming days and this will also be an encouragement for the encroachers.
It has been learnt that a large number of encroachers are now seeking help of top politicians to get their encroach land regularized, making it clear that regularization of encroached land will be prominent election issue.

Sarthak Kanjilal
Port Blair, January 04: As part of “National Programme for Control of Blindness” in Andaman & Nicobar Islands, the Directorate of Health services will be organizing Diabetic Screening cum Awareness camp at various PHCs and CHCs in the city.
Addressing a press conference today at 03:30pm at DHS office, Dr Anita Shah, Deputy Director, OPTH said that NPCB was launched in India in the year 1976.
She said that one of the major medical problems in our country is diabetes, it causes damage to many parts of our body including the eyes and as one in ten persons are diabetic in Andaman & Nicobar Islands, conduct of such camp is important for Andamans.
Dr Anita Shah further briefed about Diabetic Retinopathy and said that Diabetic retinopathy is caused by changes in the blood vessels of the retina.
“When these blood vessels are damaged, they may leak blood and grow fragile new vessels. When the nerve cells are damaged, vision is impaired. These changes can result in blurring of your vision, hemorrhage into your eye, or, if untreated, retinal detachment. Diabetic retinopathy is the most common diabetic eye disease and a leading cause of blindness,” Dr Anita said
She further explained about the prevention from Diabetic Retinopathy and said that regular check-up and medication to keep blood sugar under control is the best prevention for diabetic retinopathy. She added that all those who have diabetes must get their eyes checked from time to time to rule out retinopathy, even if their blood sugar is under control.
Diabetic Screening cum Awareness camp will be conducted from 6th to 8th January at CHC Bambooflat from 10am, 27th to 29th January at PHC Wimberlygunj from 10am, 3rd to 5th February at PHC Ferrargunj from 10 am, 10th to 12th February at PHC Tushnabad rom 10am, 17th to 19th February at PHC Manglutan from 10am and 24th to 26th January from 10am at DH Garacharma.
The Director of Health Services, Dr Shiphra Paul was also present during the press conference and appealed all the citizens of the city to take the benefit from these camps.

Port Blair, Jan 3: The Lt Governor, Lt. Gen A.K. Singh (Retd) today inaugurated the Public Information Campaign of Press Information Bureau at Football Ground, Ferrargunj.

Addressing the gathering, he stated the UT Administration is getting all assistance from the Prime Minister and the Central Govt. to carry forward development activities. It will be his endeavour and the entire Island Administration team to implement the schemes of the Central Govt on ground so that the fruits of development reach the general public. The Lt. Governor said that the aim of the campaign is to disseminate among the masses about the various development schemes brought by the Central Govt for the benefit of the people and its implementation on the ground.

Due to geographical locations and poor connectivity, the Lt Governor said that information about the development at times does not reach interior area. It is in this context, the Public Information Campaign organized by the Press Information Bureau (PIB) to reach out to the masses is an important one and also commendable, the Lt Governor added. The Lt Governor stated that this campaign has all the relevant information about the schemes brought by the Central Govt in last one and a half year and urged the general public to visit all the stalls and get the information /scheme which are relevant for them and be benefitted.

Regarding Prime Minister’s Mudra Yojana scheme, the Lt Governor informed that a target was fixed of 2000 persons for this scheme, out of which, 1300 persons were provided loan. Similarly, under Prime Minister’s Jan Dhan Yojana, over 66,000 thousand accounts were opened and most of them are active accounts.

Apart from this, the participation in the schemes such as Suraksha Beema Yojana and Jeevan Jyoti Yojana is also encouraging, the Lt Governor added. Under the ‘Beti Bachao-Beti Padao’ scheme, the Lt Governor said that this scheme was launched in 100 District and in A&N Islands, Nicobar District was covered. In the last 10 years, the sex ratio in Nicobar District has slowly improved and with concerted effort by all, the sex ratio in the Islands is surely going to improve further, he added. “We should feel proud that in A&N Islands our girls and women get better opportunity in all fields when compared to any States or UT in Mainland”, he said. “They (girls and women) contribute immensely to our society, they are found to be very sincere and are very much balanced in their approach to life”, the Lt Governor stated.

Responding to the point raised by the MP regarding Saansad Adarsh Gram Yojana, the Lt Governor stated that the development activities in the selected villages i.e Ferrargunj, Kinuka and Ramnagar have to be carried out in the Chairmanship of Chief Secretary under the guidance of Member of Parliament. The development plan for the three selected villages has already made and the departments concerned have to start developmental activities on ground. In this regard the Lt Governor directed the Chief Secretary and the Secretary, Rural Development to undertake all the activities in all the three selected villages immediately. Having a word to the young elected members of the local bodies, the Lt Governor advised them to do self introspection about their duties towards the society. Do your best for the welfare of the people of your respective ward or Panchayat, the Lt Governor said and assured them that Administration is there if they need any help. The Lt Governor desired that more youth from the Islands must join Defence Forces. He said last year, 84 youth joined Defence and this year 200 vacancies are there for Isles youth. He further stated that he has requested the Defence Minister to give approval to establish another Territorial Army Battalion in these Islands so that it will pave way for recruitment of 700-800 youth from these Isles.

Later, the Lt. Governor visited the stalls set up by various departments of A&N Administration, Central Govt. Departments and Defence for the benefit of the people.

In his address on the occasion, the Member of Parliament, Shri Bishnu Pada Ray appreciated the effort of the PIB Port Blair for organizing this campaign in order to educate the masses about the schemes of Central Govt. The development plans devised by the Modi Govt. in last one and a half year has been displayed in the exhibition (Public Information Campaign), he added.

Earlier, welcoming the gathering, the Addl. Director General, PIB, Kolkata, Shri D. Chakrabarthi stated that the Govt. of India’s programme ‘Sabka Saath Sabka Vikas’ is being pursued for inclusive growth under the leadership of Prime Minister of India. He further said that PIC is not merely a programme but its a people’s festival. He said during the one and half year lot of developments have taken place and this will be highlighted through PIC.

The Chief Secretary, Shri Anand Prakash, Adhyaksha, Zilla Parishad, South Andaman, Smt. Minati Biswas, Secretary, Rural Development, Shri N.K. Sharma, Director General of Police, Shri Rajesh Malik, Up-Adhyaksh, ZPSA, Shri Subir Chander, Pramukh, Panchayat Samiti, Ferrargunj, Shri Sandeep Biswas, Pradhan, Gram Panchayat Ferrargunj, Shri Muneshwaran were, among others, who attended inaugural function.

The students of GSSS Model School, Ferrargunj presented Saraswati Vandana. A skit highlighting the theme ‘Swatch Bharat’ was presented by the students.

After the inaugural function, the second session was held in which sports activities were presented by students and this was followed by cultural programme by students. Folk dance & cultural programme was organized by Directorate of Tribal Welfare. A cultural programme by local artists was also presented later in the evening. A film show on flagship programmes of Govt. of India was also screened.

Pranab Halder
Port Blair, Jan 3: Albeit the Lt. Governor issuing routine directions to the Forest Department to adopt safety measures and precautions to prevent crocodile attacks in important tourist destinations, the ruptured nets installed at Chidiyatapu is proof of the inertia of the Forest Department towards ensuring safety of tourists and locals at sea.
The nets after its installation in the shallow waters at Chidiyatapu, famous for its beach and sunset view, came as a huge respite as it instilled a sense of safety for visitors.
But for lack of proper maintenance, the nets currently loll in poor state totally ineffective to prevent fatal crocodile invasions.
“After a series of crocodile sighting near the shores of Chidiyatapu, the Forest Department installed the Nets to prevent fatal encounters. The move was welcomed by visitors as it was effective in prevent crocodile attacks. After fearing from venturing into the sea at Chidiyatapu, tourists and locals started swimming at the sea after the nets were installed. But after a few months, the nets started splitting at several points and the Forest Department then took no steps to rectify the snaps on the net,” say some visitors speaking to Andaman Sheekha.
Currently, almost the entire netting has been completely damaged. During high tides, it appears that the net is in proper shape. But low tides reveal the actual condition of the net.
It is in complete tatters. Forget crocodiles, even elephants can easily pass through the massive gaps. The frames too have been damaged in several parts of the fitting. Fears of crocodile attacks have returned to haunt visitors due to the poor condition of the nets. The Forest Department should take immediate steps to repair the net fitting at Chidiyatapu to prevent any fatal human-crocodile attack at the prominent tourist destination

Sarthak Kanjilal
Port Blair, Dec 31: MV Swaraj Dweep docked at Chennai Port without Dry Dock for over a month now reveals serious lack of coordination between the Administration, Shipping Department and the Shipping Corporation of India. At a time when the islanders are increasingly swaying towards ship travel owing to steep airfares, lackadaisical stance of the top officials of DSS and SCI has left thousands of ship passengers suffering for shortage of mainland voyages for the last more than 30 days even as the Shipping Corporation of India shells out about one lakh rupees per day to the Chennai Port Trust as charges for the superfluous anchorage.
According to reports, MV Swaraj Dweep reached Chennai for Dry Dock for necessary repairs and maintenance on the 03 Dec 2015. But due to non-availability of Dry Dock at Chennai Port, the mainland bound vessel has been kept at the Chennai Port.
The SCI has been paying about one lakh rupees per day to the Chennai Port Trust for each day, and this money will be finally be claimed from Administration, which is of course Tax Payers’ Money. Such delay shows the SCI has initiated no steps to approach the Chennai Port Trust to ask for the Dry Dock for MV Swaraj Dweep, the services of which is crucial for the people of these islands travelling to mainland.
“Lack of proper planning by the Directorate of Shipping Services and the Shipping Corporation of India is clearly established as lakhs of rupees from the government funds has been spent till date for the port charge of the vessel at Chennai. In the event on non-availability of Dry Dock, the SCI should have moved the vessel to Port Blair or should have kept the vessel at Port Blair where only about one third is charged by the Port Management Board, thus saving lakhs of government money. Such mismanagement is taking a huge toll on passengers in the islands as they are forced to shell out thousands of rupees for air travel in the absence of ship service. In future, the Shipping Department and the SCI should first ascertain the availability of Dry Dock facility at Chennai before allowing vessels to sail from Port Blair,” said an official of DSS requesting anonymity.
When contacted for a comment in this entire issue, a top officer of DSS has said that he is not in a position to comment anything in this case and told Andaman Sheekha to contact Director of Shipping Services for any comment in this regard.

DJ Venkatesh
Port Blair, Jan 01: A deer spotted at RGT road area of Port Blair city on Thursday, infused much excitement among the residents of the area. According to eye witness the deer suddenly appeared from nowhere and was busy in grazing, much to the amusement of the onlookers. But soon seeing too many people around the deer vanished from the area.
It is believed that the deer has escaped from Ross Island and somehow reached the other side. This is not the first time when deer of Ross Island have reached the JNRM and Shadipur area.

Port Blair, Jan 01: The year 2016 has started with a good news. According to the Department of Civil Aviation the Air India has confirmed to operate increased frequency of chartered flights for A & N Administration on Chennai-Port Blair-Chennai Sector on every Wednesdays and alternate Saturdays (1st,3rd & 5th Saturdays) from 6th January 2016 upto 31st December, 2016. As per details AI-3787/3549 will Departure from Chennai at 1030 hrs and arrive Port Blair at 1240 hrs while in return AI-3788/3550 will depart from Port Blair at 1320 and reach Chennai at 1535 hrs.
Initially, advance ticketing will be done for the flights scheduled to operate on the following dates till March, 2016.
1st January, 2016 to 31st March, 2016
January, 2016 February, 2016 March, 2016

6th January, 2016
(Wednesday) 3rd February, 2016
(Wednesday) 2nd March, 2016
(Wednesday)
13th January, 2016
(Wednesday) 6th February, 2016
(Saturday) 5th March, 2016
(Saturday)
16th January, 2016
(Saturday) 10th February, 2016
(Wednesday) 9th March, 2016
(Wednesday)
20th January, 2016
(Wednesday) 17th February, 2016
(Wednesday) 16th March, 2016
(Wednesday)
27th January, 2016
(Wednesday) 20th February, 2016
(Saturday) 19th March, 2016
(Saturday)
30th January, 2016
(Saturday) 24th February, 2016
(Wednesday) 23rd March, 2016
(Wednesday)
30th March, 2016
(Wednesday)

Passengers intending to travel from Port Blair to Chennai and from Chennai to Port Blair on above flights can book their tickets in advance at the Inter-Island Helicopter terminal, VIP Road, Port Blair between 09 AM to 4 PM on all working days from 4th January, 2016 onwards. A total of 66 General Quota tickets for the Islanders and 13 Non-Islanders tickets for travel from Port Blair to Chennai and 33 tickets for travel from Chennai to Port Blair in each flight can be booked from the counter at Port Blair. Besides, tickets for sector Chennai to Port Blair can also be booked at the Directorate of Shipping Services counter at Chennai, No.5 Rajaji Salai, near Custom House, Chennai.