Sarthak Kanjilal
Port Blair, Jan 08: In a major respite for the residents of Havelock and Campbell Bay, a long pending demand for Petrol Pump facility in the islands is all set to be realized in the first quarter of the next financial year.
Sharing the development, the General Manager, Andaman & Nicobar Islands Integrated Development Corporation, Mr Dharmendra Kumar said that the civil works for the Petrol Pump at Havelock has been completed, while the works relating to storage capacity and installation of dispending Units will be awarded to Indian Oil Corporation soon.
“A petrol pump in the Havelock island will decrease the cost of Petrol which will indirectly benefit tourists in the island, Mr Dharmendra added.
On the proposal for setting up at Petrol Pump at Campbell Bay, the ANIIDCO GM said that due to some local concerns, the ANIIDCO failed to make any progress in the proposal. But efforts have been revived and file proceedings for creation of storage capacity and installation of dispending units for the Petrol Pump at Campbell Bay through Indian Oil Corporation in under progress. The Campbell Bay project may take some more time to complete as official procedures have been initiated only in the first quarter of the current financial year, added Mr Dharmendra Kumar.

Amit Halder & Sarthak Kanjilal

Port Blair, January 07: It was a great shock for the villagers of Manpur, Bengali Basti today when they spotted a Crocodile inside a large village pond.

As per the villagers, they saw the Crocodile inside the pond in the morning after which they cautioned all other villagers not enter inside the pond and keep an eye on the movement of the crocodile inside the pond.

It is believed that the Crocodile somehow reached the pond from a nearby nallah, which is infested by crocodiles, since ages.

A team of Forest under the overall supervision of Divisional Forest Officer, Wandoor Range on information reached the spot in the evening and caught the Crocodile.

It is learnt that the Crocodile was further taken to the Wandoor Wildlife Sanctuary.

K Muralidhran Pillai
Port Blair, Jan 06: The battered road stretch leading to Karmatang beach, a prominent tourist site in North Andaman, stands proof of how remote pockets of these islands are kept out of the developmental plans of the administration.
The tattered road stretch and plight of people negotiating the surface appeared in the local media particularly Andaman Sheekha in more than a couple of occasions. But the concerned authorities have failed to repair the road for the benefit of hundreds of tourists and locals of the area.
According to reports, the concerned authorities carried out some patch works ahead of the visit of the Chief Secretary of the Administration to the North and Middle Andaman region.
But the patch-ups, loose earth filled on the craters, apparently to impress the Chief Secretary, washed away in the very next rain showers leaving locals in a tight spot. “It seems that the local authorities care two hoots of the instructions of the Chief Secretary, who promised development of the area during his visit.
Authorities like the ZIlla Parishad, NACD Mayabunder, PRIs, show huge amounts expended on maintenance of roads every year, but a drive on the pothole laden road surface at Karmatang will reveal complete apathy of the authorities towards progress of the area. Driving on the road surface at Karmatang requires superhuman skills.
Authorities concerned are least bothered about fixing many gaping craters that dot the surface to make it safe for motorists. On the New Year eve, many locals, who wished to celebrate the occasion, at the beach had to return back home for fear of accidents and damage to vehicles at the road stretch,” said some Mayabunder residents.
“Besides the pathetic condition of the road, cleanliness at the Karmatang beach has taken a beating in the recent months. The beach is littered with empty bottles and non-biodegradable wastes.
Though the Forest Department has placed Dustbins at the beach, lack of regular garbage disposal forces visitors to discard wastes in open areas. Moreover, a Watchman, atleast on daily rated basis, should be posted at the beach for ensuing proper watch of the tourist destination,” say some others.

Special Report
Port Blair, Jan 05: Martyr Lieutenant Colonel Elambulassery Kalarikkal Niranjan, who died in the terrorist attack at IAF base at Pathankot on Sunday, was laid to rest at his ancestral house in Kerala on Tuesday. Niranjan, a member of the NSG’s bomb detection squad, died while defusing an explosive from a terrorist’s body on Sunday.
When the entire nation is mourning death of NSG martyr Lt Col Niranjan Kumar, people in Andaman and Nicobar Islands, who had got a chance to work with him, are deeply shocked.
Lt. Col. Kumar, a bomb disposal expert had come to Andaman in June first week of 2015 with three other colleagues after the Brookshabad Blast incident, in which two people had died.
According to details Lt. Col. Kumar and his team had played a major role in post blast investigation of Brookshabad. He had collected samples from the blast site and had helped police to reach to a logical conclusion.
To confirm the fact when Andaman Sheekha team contacted Mr. B Saigal, the SDPO of Havelock, who was holding additional charge of Dy.S.P South Andaman, he confirmed that Lt Col Niranjan Kumar is the same officer, who came to Andaman on the request of Police Department for post blast investigation.
“Police personnel who saw him and worked with him are deeply shocked to see his photographs in National News. His mobile phone is constantly switched off. My deepest condolences for Martyr Lt Col Niranjan Kumar. This is a great loss to the nation,” Mr. Saigal added.
Other police Jawans and officers, who worked with him for those few days, have shared his photos in Social Media and expressed their condolence.
Andaman Sheekha team extends deepest condolences on the death of Lt Col Niranjan Kumar and other jawans of defence forces, in terrorist attack at IAF base at Pathankot.

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.

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.

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.

Port Blair, Dec 30: It was a historic and great moment not only for the Islanders, but also for the rest of the country as it was on this day, Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose for the first time, as provincial head, hoisted the National Tri-colour and declared these Islands and the country Independent in 1943, at the historic Gymkhana ground now Netaji Stadium. To mark the occasion, a function was organized by the Department of Arts and Culture at the Netaji Memorial this morning.

The Lt. Governor, Lt Gen. A K Singh (Retd.) hoisted the National Flag in the presence of Shri Inderesh Kumar, Marga Darshak, FANS, the Member of Parliament, Shri Bishnu Pada Ray, the Chairperson PBMC, Smt. Sheela Singh, Smt. Sarla Singh, National Gen. Secy., FANS, Smt. Rupa Ray, Shri Vishal Jolly, State President, BJP, Shri Pradip Joshi, Kshetriya Pracharak, Shri Girish Arora, President, FANS A&N Chapter, prominent citizens and senior officers of the Administration. A team of 25 delegates from Forum for Awareness of National Security (FANS) also attended the function.

Addressing the gathering, the Lt. Governor recalled the significance of the day and the contribution of the heroes of our freedom struggle. He said that this was the soil on which inhuman tortures were meted over hundreds of freedom fighters who fought valiantly for the Independence of our country. It is a memorable day for every Indian, he said.

The Lt Governor described the occasion as a sacred moment for the Islands in particular and the nation as a whole. Responding to the suggestion putforth by Shri Inderesh, the Lt Governor said that from next year, the commemorative function will be conducted in a broad scale. He directed the Chief Secretary to prepare a detailed plan about the programme involving the Member of Parliament, the Heritage Committee and the local people especially the old inhabitants of these islands.

The Lt Governor further stated that the aspect of declaring December 30 as ‘Restricted Holiday’ can also be looked into. Moving one step further, the Lt Governor asked the Secretary Tourism to include Dec.30 in the Islands Tourism Map as an event and organize a cultural extravaganza to celebrate this joyous occasion which will also help in boosting tourism in Isles. The Lt Governor asked the Principal Secretary, PWD to make the ‘Memorial of December 30’ more attractive. Keeping a visitors book, creating a Water Proof Photo Exhibition can be included, the Lt. Governor suggested.

The Lt Governor further stated that though the islanders observe this commemorative function every year but the programme got a a national level stature due to the efforts of FANS.

In his address, the Shri Inderesh Kumarji, Marg Darshak, FANS and General Secretary, RSS described the moment as an auspicious one, as he was able to pay his respect to Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose who hoisted the first National Tricolour from this very soil. He said, ‘there cannot be a better way to respect the patriots than this, when we are paying our tribute at a historical place where Freedom Fighters have made supreme sacrifices for the liberation/independence of our Motherland’. It is really painful to learn that the Freedom Fighters are known as ‘War Criminals’. Even Netaji Subhash has the tag of ‘War Criminal’ in United Nations Organization. This tag needs to be removed as early as possible. They are Freedom Fighters and food, shelter and clothing was not a problem for them and they fought for the country. Appreciating the merits of these Islands which is moving forward with happiness, prosperity, unity, integration and social harmony, Shri Inderesh urged for taking a pledge on this auspicious day to maintain all these good merits in the future.

In his address on the occasion, the Member of Parliament, Shri Bishnu Pada Ray described the occasion as a historic one and recalled the contribution of the heroes of our freedom struggle. He stated that the pre-42 locals donated a sum of Rs 10,000/- when Netaji visited these Islands in Dec. 30 in 1943. He further said, people also donated the Chief of INA a sum of Rs 5000/- before he left these islands during that period.

The students of Kendriya Vidyalaya No. 1 shouted slogans of Subhash Chandra Bose ‘Jai Hind’ ‘Tum Mujhe Khoon Do Mein Thumhe Ajadi Doonga’ which reverberated in the air.