Sri Vijaya Puram, Oct 23: The Fisheries Department of A&N Administration in association with the National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT) has established Seaweed Cultivation Demonstration Project at Chidiyatapu. The Chief Secretary, A&N Administration, Shri Keshav Chandra, IAS today inaugurated the project in the presence of the Commissioner-cum Secretary (Fisheries), Smt. Nandini Paliwal, Secretary (Fisheries), Shri Vishwendra, Director (NIOT), Prof. B. Ramakrishnan, Director (Fisheries), Ms Jagtap Kalyani Rajendra, senior officers of A&N Administration & NIOT and fishermen community.
In his address, the Chief Secretary stated that the Hon’ble Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi has made a clarion call for mass cultivation of seaweed. The Chief Secretary said, seaweed is used for production of umpteen numbers of things which also include cosmetics, colors, bio-plastics & food items etc. The Chief Secretary said, keeping in mind the high value and demand of seaweed all over the World, the A&N Administration decided to associate with the National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT), so that the A&N Administration demonstrates the seaweed cultivation first to make sure that its cultivation is possible in A&N Islands. He further stated that in the first phase, NIOT has identified sea area of 5 hectares, further 5 hectares will be covered by Fisheries Department. The locally available seaweed (Garcilaria Edulis) will be cultivated in these 10 hectares of sea area, so that it does not cause any damage to the prevailing eco-system of the Islands, the Chief Secretary said. People involved in its cultivation will be benefitted and the process of cultivation is also very easy, which will be ready for harvest within 30 days, the Chief Secretary added.
The Chief Secretary said that the Administration’s effort is to take up the seaweed cultivation in a broader scale, so that A&N Islands stands in the first place all over the country and becomes a role model in seaweed cultivation. The Chief Secretary said that efforts will be made to take up Seaweed cultivation at South Point, Shoal Bay, North Bay, Kodiyaghat, Chidiyatapu, Pokadera, Durgapur Jetty. He also showered all praise for the effort made by the NIOT, the Commissioner-cum- Secretary (Fisheries), Secretary (Fisheries) and others for the seaweed cultivation project in Isles.
Earlier, the Chief Secretary also took part in the deployment of seaweed tube-nets into the cultivation rafts. The Chief Secretary alongwith the officials visited the stalls displaying Seaweeds and its product. The Secretary (Fisheries), Shri Viswendra & Prof. B. Ramakrishnan, Director, NIOT signed an MoU regarding the Seaweed Cultivation Project on the occasion.
In his address on the occasion, the Secretary (Fisheries), Shri Viswendra said that the complete project of seaweed cultivation was conceived during the review meeting of the Fisheries Department being taken by the Chief Secretary on every Saturday at Secretariat. He said, as per the initial conception, the NIOT was provided 5 hectares of sea area last year for technology stabilization and after stabilization in the next phase, the Fisheries Department, as per the direction of the Chief Secretary, took initiative to establish a demo Seaweed Farm at Chidiyatapu which was inaugurated by the Chief Secretary today. He said that the Seaweed cultivation will be propagated in a broader scale as per the new ‘Comprehensive Fisheries Development Policy’.
Earlier, welcoming the chief guest and others present on the occasion, Prof. B. Ramakrishnan, Director, NIOT outlined the activities of NIOT. He said, in recent years, a total of 11,000 species of seaweed were recorded globally, out of which, 865 seaweed taxa are reported from India. The Seaweed diversity of A&N Islands is endowed with 244 species belonging to 100 genera of which 58 taxa are recognized for their importance in various aspects, he added.

 

Rabindranath Biswas
Diglipur, Oct 22: The Pramukh, Panchayat Samiti Diglipur Shri Dipankar Mistry has pressed for early commencement of the Rural Road from Govt. Middle School Shantinagar to Shri Kanai lal Biswas house at Shantinagar, Ward No. 02 under Swarajgram Section.
According to information, the Rural Road from G.M. School Shantinagar to Shri Kanai Lal Biswas house at Shantinagar, Ward No. 02 under Swarajgram Section which was taken up in the year 2023-24 and 2024-25 Annual Plan by the APWD, CD, Diglipur is indispensable for the villagers residing under Gram Panchayat Gandhinagar.
Talking to Andaman Sheekha Daily, the Pramukh said that the Rural Road from G.M.S Shantinagar to Shri Kanai Lal Biswas house at Shantinagar, Ward No. 02 is in fact the last part of the road which initially started from Badur Tikrey & Gandhinagar village through Ganeshnagar and ended at the beginning point of Shantinagar village. There are three villages namely Gandhinagar, Ganeshnagar and Shantinagar under Gandhinagar Panchayat, in which 1200 people live.
People have been living in Shantinagar village since 1969 and licenses of land were issued by the Deputy Commissioner, N & M Andaman, Mayabunder during the year 2002 while Panchayati Raj system was established in this village in 2010, he further added. However, the people residing in this region have been facing severe difficulties owing to the absence of a pucca road in the village.
Mr. Dipankar Mistry who is also the Samiti Member from Gandhinagar constituency further said that the earth work of the Rural Road from G.M.S Shantinagar to Shri Kanai Lal Biswas house at Shantinagar was completed by the Panchayat Samiti, Diglipur during the year 2010 to 2015. However, owing to the paucity of funds and the stretch of the road being 2.5km in length, it was decided in the Gram Sabha Meeting that the work of the road be handed over to the CD, APWD, Diglipur. And accordingly, the relevant documents of the road in question were handed over to the Executive Engineer, CD, APWD, Diglipur at the very beginning of preparation of the estimate of the road, the Pramukh claimed.
The stretch of the road, which is about 2.5 km in length, starts from the very beginning point of Shantinagar village to the last point of the village where the land was allotted to the people under the colonization scheme by the Revenue Department. This is the road which will help connect the people of this outlying area to the Diglipur town area. About 270 to 300 people were settled near this road with land & license by the government and the residents especially school going children, elderly and medical patients have been facing severe inconveniences in using this earth road, the Pramukh said. Besides, it is the responsibility of the administration to deliver essential services like road, electricity, water etc to the people settled by the govt. of India, Mr. Mistry maintained.
The Pramukh has recently written a letter addressed to the Chief Secretary, A & N Administration, Sri Vijaya Puram and apprised him of the plight of the residents of Shantinagar village owing to incompletion of the rural road and urged him to impress upon the concerned officials to expedite the further process of the road and accomplish it within a given timeline thereby rescuing the residents of Shantinagar village, Dipankar Mistry said.

Vikramaditya
Baratang, Oct 22: Residents of Baratang Island are set to get much-needed relief after facing a month-long disruption in ATM services. The lone ATM of the State Bank of India (SBI) on the island had malfunctioned, causing severe inconvenience to the people. In response, the Zilla Parishad member of Baratang Island met with the SBI regional manager in Sri Vijaya Puram (Port Blair) to discuss the issue.
During the meeting, the regional manager informed the Zilla Parishad Member that a new ATM machine had already arrived at Baratang. However, the screen suffered damage during transportation, delaying its installation. The spare part is expected to arrive in Port Blair within three days, and the new ATM will be installed shortly after.

Rabindranath Biswas
Sri Vijaya Puram, Oct 21: The commuting woes of the residents of T.V. Kullam and Dharmapur villages coming under Gram Panchayat Shivapuam owing to the damaged and closed Bailey bridge at T.V. Kullam have been plaguing them for the last couple of years.
According to information, the Bailey bridge was constructed by APWD during the year 2012 and it is the lifeline for the villagers of TV Kullam under this Gram Panchayat. Talking to Andaman Sheekha Daily, Shri Venkateswar Rao, Pradhan, Gram Panchayat Shivapuam said that there was a demand from the residents of this area to build a bridge over Betapur Nallah since settlement.
However, the said Bailey bridge after getting severely damaged has been lying closed in state for more than 5 yrs (since 2019), the Pradhan said. The bridge was closed by APWD by welding pipes and bars across the entrance to prevent the entry of all kinds of vehicles and owing to which the residents of these villages have to take a long detour through C.F.O Nallah Bridge to transport their agricultural products and for medical emergency apart from the daily necessities, which is causing untold sufferings to the residents in the region, the Pradhan denounced.
The villagers of T.V.Kullam and Dharmapur staged protest to fulfill their long pending demand and also declared to boycott the Lok Sabha election 2024, the Pradhan said. In response, the Assistant Commissioner, Rangat, Middie Andaman held a meeting on 26.02.2024 near T.V. Kullam bridge and interacted with the villagers and assured to take necessary steps for construction of the said bailey bridge. But, unfortunately no concrete step has been taken to alleviate the problem of the villagers, the Pradhan rued.
In his recent visit to the area, the A & N Islands’ lone MP Shri Bishnupada Ray also showed much concern over the plight of the residents of this area thrown by the damaged Bailey bridge and he has written a letter addressed to the Honourable Prime Minister of India, Honourable Home Minister of India and the Honourable Lt. Governor, A & N Islands, Sri Vijaya Puram, the Pradhan further said. In his letter the Hounable MP reportedly raised the issue of the damaged bridge and its consequent hardships for the residents in this area. The Honourable MP reportedly said that this bridge is the only direct route for the villagers, and its closure has forced them to take alternate and much longer routes, leading to significant hardship, time wastage and frustration. Despite repeated representations and appeals by the villagers and elected representatives such as the Pradhan of Shivapuram followed by protest by the residents, no action has been taken by the administration to reconstruct the bridge, leaving the villagers to fend for themselves for nearly 06 years, the letter read. Furthermore, even after making several correspondences and holding protests by the villagers, neither this work has been included in the Annual Plan nor has any estimate for getting sanction been prepared so far, the Honourable MP reportedly said in his letter. As such, the villagers are deeply disheartened and feel that their genuine concerns are being ignored. The villagers expressed their disappointment over how their pleas for such a crucial infrastructure project have gone unheard and why the A & N Administration is turning a blind eye to their welfare and needs, the MP said. Making an earnest request to the Honourable Prime Minister of India for his intervention in the matter, the honourable MP has appealed to Shri Narendra Modi to issue directions to the A & N Administration for the immediate reconstruction of the T.V. Kullam bridge either in RCC or any suitable mode so the the residents of this region don’t suffer any longer, the MP’s letter further read.

Sri Vijaya Puram, Oct 21: The A&N State Sub Junior (U15) Chess Championship 2024, organized by the Andaman Nicobar Chess Association (ANCA) sponsored by SIDZERN, successfully concluded with a prize distribution ceremony at the SVPMC Community Hall, Dairy Farm, Ward No. 14, Port Blair. The championship saw participation from around 150 young players and served as a crucial selection event for the upcoming 49th National Sub Junior Chess Championship, scheduled to be held in Hosur, Tamil Nadu, from November 2nd to 11th, 2024.

In the Boys’ Section, J.S. Virat emerged as the champion, while Galav Saha took the runner-up position. A Chirag Kumar and S M Dinesh Kumar secured third and fourth places, respectively. In the Girls’ Section, D. Charvi emerged as the winner, while S. Sarisha was the runner-up. J Keerthana and G Disha Meenakshi took the third and fourth positions, respectively. The top four players from both sections will represent the Andaman & Nicobar Islands at the National Sub Junior Chess Championship.
The closing ceremony was graced by Mrs. A.P. Athicka from SIDZERN as the Chief Guest, along with distinguished Special Guests Mr. J. Gopinath, AME, DSS, and Mr. Dharmaraj, Proprietor of Sweneha Hotel. They presented trophies and certificates to the winners in both the Boys and Girls categories, as well as to the best performers across various age group categories, as listed below:
Sl.No. Name of the Player Position Selected for National
Boys
1. J S Virat 1st Normal Entry
2. Galav Saha 2nd Normal Entry
3. A Chirag Kumar 3rd Normal Entry
4. S M Dinesh Kumar 4th Normal Entry
5. Ayush Sinha 5th Standby
6. Y Ronnie Ronaldo 6th Standby
GIRLS
1. D Charvi 1st Normal Entry
2. S Sarisha 2nd Normal Entry
3. J Keerthana 3rd Normal Entry
4. G Disha Meenakshi 4th Normal Entry
5. Chittiboina Mageswari 5th Standby
6. S Vidhya 6th Standby

Category Prizes:
Sl.No. Name of the Player Position Name of the Player Position
U13 (GIRLS) U13(Boys)
1. S Varanya 1st Sreedhar G 1st
2. M.A.Mahalakshmi 2nd K Jaivardhan Rao 2nd
3. R Kartika 3rd Rishik Reddy 3rd
U11 (GIRLS) U11(Boys)
1. Krishnapriya B Rajesh 1st R Siddharth 1st
2. S Bhavishya 2nd B Hari Prasad 2nd
3. K Mahi 3rd ACMA Arush 3rd
U09 (GIRLS) U09(Boys)
1. T Vanshika Rao 1st Mohammed Ubaid 1st
2. S Aadrika 2nd Vyom Tiwari 2nd
3. T Aarohi 3rd S Eshaan 3rd
U07 (GIRLS) U07(Boys)
1. N Shreenika 1st B Vignesh 1st
2. R Vaishnavi 2nd R Medanth 2nd
3. K Hemanshi 3rd V K Nuhaan Siddique 3rd
Best Youngest Girl Best Youngest Boy
Gnanashreeka, S T Esanth

All selected players have been formally informed to submit their consent letters for participation in the upcoming national chess tournament by October 22nd, 5:00 PM. Players can submit their consent either via WhatsApp at 9434293379 or in person at the ANCA Chess Centre, Dairy Farm. Failure to submit the consent by the deadline will result in the next participant in the merit list being given the opportunity to participate

 

Amit Halder & Vikramaditya
Sri Vijaya Puram, Oct 20: The ongoing power crisis has pushed the residents of Chouldari to their limits. Over the past few months, frequent and extended power cuts have caused widespread frustration and disruption to daily life. However, things took a dramatic turn yesterday evening when the village experienced yet another power outage, this time lasting from the early morning hours.
By mid-day, the residents, including local Panchayat members, could no longer contain their frustration. By 10 PM they staged a dharna (sit-in protest) near Port Mout, Krishna Mandir area, blocking the ATR Road, which is a major artery connecting the village.
The protest attracted the attention of local law enforcement, and several officers were dispatched to the scene. The villagers were adamant that their demands for stable electricity be addressed.
Speaking to several frustrated villagers during the protest, it became clear that this wasn’t an isolated incident. Power cuts have become the norm in Chouldari, affecting not just daily household activities but also businesses and essential services.
One of the local Panchayat members expressed his frustration, saying, “Every time there’s a power cut, people call us, and it’s impossible to get any answers from the authorities. We are forced to bear the brunt of the public’s anger.”
The power cuts have also affected students, as this is exam season, and the lack of electricity severely hampers their ability to study. One of the local leaders pointed out, “It’s not just about the inconvenience; it’s about the future of our children who cannot even prepare for their exams because of these constant outages.”
As per sources, yesterday’s protest was primarily a result of a scheduled tree-cutting operation that led to a prolonged power cut. Though the authorities had informed the villagers about the maintenance work, the restoration was delayed, causing tensions to escalate.
As per report the protest which started at around 10.00 PM yesterday ended at around 3.00 AM this morning.
One local Panchayat member explained, “The power was finally restored in the evening, but it shouldn’t have taken a protest for this to happen. This issue has been going on for a long time, and the authorities need to address it more seriously.”
Chouldari’s ongoing electricity crisis is a symptom of a larger problem in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. Despite being a small Union Territory, the region has some of the highest electricity tariffs in the country, yet the quality of service remains poor. Residents in several other parts of the islands face similar issues, and there seems to be no concrete solution in sight.
The local residents, who have grown increasingly frustrated, feel that the administration’s promises to resolve these issues have fallen on deaf ears. “If things continue this way, we might have to resort to even larger protests,” warned one of the protesters.

 

Sri Vijaya Puram, Oct 20: Admiral D K Joshi, PVSM, AVSM, YSM, NM, VSM (Retd.), Lt. Governor, A&N Islands and Vice-Chairman, Islands Development Agency called on Mr. Amit Shah, Union Minister of Home Affairs and Minister of Cooperation on Oct.18, 2024 and briefed him on the progress of various Tourism Hospitality, Infrastructure Mega Projects being steered through Islands Development Agency, which are nearing completion in A&N Islands. He also recommended scheduling of next meeting to chart a way ahead for follow on strategies and projects in the next phase.
The Lt. Governor also requested for early approval of Standing Finance Committee (SFC) and Public Private Partnership Appraisal Committee (PPAC) for Andaman and Nicobar Administration proposals currently under consideration with concerned Ministries.