Port Blair, Apr 18: Harinagar Gram Panchayat has been selected for the award of Rastirya Gaurav Gram Sabha Puraskar for the year 2012 to be awarded on the National Panchayat Raj Day on24/04/2012by the Ministry of Panchayat Raj inDelhi.

Billyground, Apr 10: The lone ATM of Billyground is presently giving nightmares to residents of Billy Ground area. The ATM is not working since last one week but there has been no effort from SBI to rectify the fault. As there is only one ATM in the region people are having a horrible time, many had to go to Rangat and Mayabuder to withdraw money but sadly the ATM of Mayabunder also often remain out of service.

Staff Correspondent

Nimbudera, Apr 08: The Electricity Department’s Junior Engineer Office at Nimbudera should probably be made one of the tourist destinations as the office has all potentials to leave visitors spell bound and deeply shocked.
Due to total negligence and lack of proper upkeep the JE’s office now wears a haunted look. The condition of the building is so bad that people fear that at any point of time the building may collapse, killing office staffs and general public.

Not only this, the office doesn’t have toilet block, which causes problems for staffs and general public. Moreover, the office also doesn’t have sufficient number of almirah, tables and chair, which makes it impossible to keep office documents under safe custody. One can see that crucial documents, including files are dumped here and there inside the office, all the time.

As there is no store room, adjacent of the JE office, there is always a threat of burglary as costly equipments of the department are mostly kept in open, near the office, even in night hours.

The said Junior Engineer Office, covers areas Basantipur Gram Panchayat, Harinagar Gram Panchayat and some parts of Swadeshnagar Panchayat and there is near about 1500 consumers and to attend their problems, there are only 15 staffs including 1 Chargeman, 2 Lineman, 1 Driver (Mazdoor) and remaining 11 Mazdoor.

With such limited number of staffs, one can easily guess what kind of service the JE office is giving to the region. Secondly, out of the 11 Mazdoors, 4 mazdoors discharge their duties in the office of the JE and out of these four mazdoors only one is male.

It seems that the said JE office needs urgent attention. The building needs urgent renovation and the office required a store room immediately. If nothing is done tomorrow someone will run away will also costly equipments of the department and important files, leaving behind just the board of Junior Engineer Office, Nimbudera.

N & M Correspondent
Billyground, Apr 04: This is a perfect example, how negligence of APWD is causing great inconvenience to general public, especially in remote villages. In Billyground a farmer is living under constant fear of wrath of heavy rainfall, as he knows that this time heavy rainfall will surely cause flood like situation around his house and damage his house.

Infact since last 40 years the farmer is facing the same problem of inundation of his area by stagnant rain water.

The house of the farmer, Bhadrakanta Biswas, is located near Billyground Bazaar and close to his house there is a culvert. During rainy season all the rain water flows through the culvert and often over the land of the farmer, and cause flood like situation.

In past the farmer Bhadrakanta Biswas has made several complaints and after nearly 40 long years his prayers were heard recently.

Few months back he saw that APWD has started the work for construction of CC Drain near his house, so that during heavy rain the excess rain water does not enter his area.

But to his dismay he found that only after few days of digging earth, the work was stopped by APWD contractor. Now the situation has become further bad for the farmer, as during rain water more rain water will flow towards his house and in case of heavy rain the rain water may even sweep away his house.

Now the helpless farmer, Mr. Bhadrakanta Biswas and his son is living under constant fear that in case of heavy rain their house will be surely get inundated in rain water.

When Andaman Sheekha’s North and Middle Andaman Correspondent enquired into the matter, it was learnt that the work was stopped as sufficient quantity of cement was not available with APWD at Billyground.

Now the question is why for the mistake of APWD and its contractor, poor farmers should suffer? When the APWD knew that sufficient quantity of cement was unavailable in Billyground area, why the work of digging earth was started, making the situation more dangerous for residents?

Before this monsoon the APWD must look into the matter and complete the culvert construction work before someone fall victim of the wrath of heavy rainfall.

D J Venkatesh
Diglipur, Apr 05: Mr. Ranjit Mondal, a resident of R K Gram Diglipur today chopped off his left hand from wrist for reasons, which is still not clear. According to report Ranjit, 36 year old, had tried to cut his neck with a knife at Kali Mandir. According to reports he was found roaming on road holding his chopped left wrist in right hand. A police jawan who spotted him roaming on road later admitted in PHC Diglipur for medical care. According to police sources he is a drug addict.