Staff Correspondent

Port Blair, Apr 13: A few days back when a group of people entered inside the Mortuary of G B Pant Hospital to keep the body of one of their family members, they were shocked to see Maggots dropping from two unclaimed bodies, kept inside the Mortuary.

They also found that the Cold Storage facility inside the Mortuary is not working which resulted in formation of Maggots in dead bodies.

“It was a rude shock for the family members. This is inhumane. How can this happen?,” question Sanjay Meshak a relative of the deceased and also Ex-MP candidate of AAP.

When the matter was communicated to the Lt. Governor by Andaman Sheekha, the Lt. Governor took immediate action, directing the Secretary Health, the DHS and the CE APWD to visit the Mortuary immediately.

It was only because of the intervention of the Lt. Governor, Lt. Gen (Retd.) A K Singh, things which were totally mismanaged, was noticed by G B Pant Authorities and some concrete decisions were taken today so that such mistakes do not occur again.

“Things have been sorted out. Please talk to the MS of G B Pant for further details,” Dr. Shipra Paul the new DHS told Andaman Sheekha this evening.

When contacted the Medical Superintendent of G B Pant Dr. S P Burma told Andaman Sheekha that the AC was not working in the Mortuary and it was noticed only on Sunday.

“The ACs might not be working since some time but it was noticed only on Sunday last and on Sunday who will repair the ACs? As the Cold Storage was not there the dead bodies decomposed very fast,” said Dr. Burma.

He said that the two bodies are kept inside the Mortuary since a long time and nobody came forward to claim those bodies.

Putting blame on PBMC he said that PBMC was asked to disposed off the body but the PBMC did not take any action.

“Today we have taken a decision that G B Pant Hospital won’t keep unclaimed body for more than seven days and after seven days with the clearance of Police Department the bodies will be handed over to PBMC for necessary action from their side. We have also decided to keep a separate generator for the Mortuary so that in case of power cuts the temperature is maintained to a certain level to preserve the bodies,” Dr. Verma said.

When everything is said and done the million dollar question remain here is why can’t departments carry out their routine works efficiently, when all kind of financial and logistic supports are readily available in Andaman? Why it require intervention of Head of the State to put things in order? Does this mean that Administration will function smoothly only when Lt. Governor will interfere in all petty matters?

Finally after all this, Departments leave no stone unturned to target media for calling a spade a spade and highlighting major issues.

Staff Correspondent
Port Blair, Apr 9: Soon after Andaman Sheekha reported the despair of 6-year-old Priyanka’s family, in Jan 2015, who had no means to pay mounting hospital charges for treatment of their child, scores of readers responded with financial aid and comfort calls.

The family trying to get their child treated for a heart deformity was overwhelmed by the public response and generous donations ensured Priyanka’s treatment at a speciality hospital at Mainland.

Dr. Sudip Chakrobortry of Chakrobortry Multispeciality Hospital gave special attention and arranged treatment at Padmavathy Hospital of Puducherry.

Responding to Andaman Sheekha’s appeal for financial assistance from readers and general public, generous donations poured in from almost all sections of the society.

Some sent cheques, some donated in cash and eventually the required amount of money was collected for Priyanka’s treatment and she was sent for treatment to Pondicherry in the end of January and returned after a successful surgery in March 2015.

“She is perfectly fine now. Earlier, she was unable to stand even for a minute, but now she plays with her friends. She will have to go for a follow-up check up at Puducherry soon. We plan to admit her to a school next year. We are extremely indebted to all people of Andaman and Nicobar Islands for the generous and timely assistance provided to us. We are also indebted to those who have prayed day and night for our child,” said Ramakrishna.
Born to Mr Ramakrishna and Karuna Das, Priyanka was detected with a hole in heart at the age of two.

The father with a paltry income from working as a Driver in a local grocery shop was unable to bear the whopping expenses for his daughter’s treatment. Priyanka was unable to attend schools and was taught at home by her mother. She was also denied of playing with friends as little physical exertion caused her breathlessness and other complications. She was constantly kept under vigil by her mother.

After struggling for more than four years to arrange the money for treatment, Ramakrishna approached the Lt. Governor for help. An amount of 1 lakh sanctioned from the LG’s Relief Fund for treatment was insufficient.

Thankfully kind hearted people of Andaman and Nicobar Islands came forward and collected sufficient amount for the treatment of little angel.

Jeevan
Katchal, Apr 8: A community hall in remote Katchal in the southern group of islands bears witness to the official apathy in effective utilisation of public assets. The 7 year old Community Hall, constructed in lakhs under the MPLAD scheme, is in dire straits owing to repair and maintenance issues.
According to reports, the community hall constructed in the year 2008 has been put to minimal use since construction. The decrepit structure is now home to the wild rather than serving the public in the region.
“The hall has been barely used since construction in the year 2008. Agencies concerned care two hoots about its maintenance. The walls of the hall have developed cracks and the structure can collapse any moment. Swiftlet nests inside the hall bears evidence that wild creatures are making merry of the state of affairs. The under-utilisation of the community hall is yet another instance of drainage of public money in the Nicobar group of islands,” said some Katchal resident.

Lt. Governor Flags Environmental Issues of Andaman And Nicobar Islands in National Conference

Port Blair, Apt 06: Lt. Governor, Andaman and Nicobar Islands Lt. General (Retd) AK Singh attended the Conference of State Environment and Forest Ministers held on 6th April 2015 at New Delhi. The Conference was inaugurated by Shri Narendra Modi, Prime Minister of India. Shri Prakash Javadekar, Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Environment, Forest and Climate Change participated as Guest of Honour. State Ministers holding the charge of Environment and Forest and Chairpersons/Member Secretaries of State Pollution Control Board and Senior Officers of Central Ministries/States/UTs participated in this well attended Conference.

During the inaugural session, the Prime Minister released a status report on air pollution status of various cities/towns in the country. Inaugurating the Conference, Prime Minister viewed that development and environment cannot be viewed as separate entities. While the genuine aspiration of the citizens of the country are to be met by providing all-inclusive development, care should be taken that environment is not spoiled. He cited with illustration the environment consciousness of the forefathers and called upon all the stakeholders to emulate the model given by them in achieving a pollution free atmosphere. He illustrated that turning off street lights on full moon nights, avoiding of use of fuel driven vehicles once in a week would reduce carbon emission drastically and wherever feasible, renewable energy should be encouraged.

Lt. Governor, A&N islands briefed the Minister of State (Independent Charge), Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change about the recent initiatives taken by the Administration in managing the Municipal solid waste, e-waste, plastic waste and biomedical waste. Lt. Governor appreciated the very fine efforts taken by the Forest Department of the Administration in preserving ecology of the Islands. He requested the intervention of the Ministry to sort out the issue of extraction of sea sand to the extent allowed by the Hon’ble Supreme Court, by expediting the report by the Institute of Ocean Management, Chennai, so that the need of the Islanders for allotment of sea sand could be fulfilled.

Lt. Governor sought for the support of Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change in getting a favourable recommendation by the Central Empowered Committee constituted by Supreme Court, for diversion of 16000 hectares of deemed forest land for the purposes of taking up of developmental projects for housing, Civil Aviation etc. apart from meeting the infrastructural needs of Defence.

Further in order to prevent the time and cost overrun in respect of the projects requiring clearance under the Forest Act, the Lt. Governor requested the Ministry either to authorize one of the PCCFs posted to Andaman and Nicobar Islands to accord such clearances on behalf of the Central Government or to direct the officials of Chennai Regional Office of the Ministry to periodically, say once in 2 months, visit Port Blair to expedite the pending clearances.

The Union Minister appreciated the initiative taken by the Administration and assured that his Ministry would render all assistance in meeting the requirements of the Islanders.

Vikramaditya

Port Blair, Mar 31: Electricity poles in Gandhi Park have turned into poles of danger posing serious threat to children and guests visiting the spot in huge numbers on a daily basis. High voltage wires dangling bare from the electric poles in the Park are no less than a hangman’s noose and is enough to electrocute anyone coming into contact.

While the bare power cables at various points has triggered panic among visitors, the Port Blair Municipal Council, the agency responsible for the operation of the Park, remains in slumber with literally no efforts to rectify the faults endangering human lives.

“The electricity wires with so many bare joints are located at many places in the Gandhi Park and visitors try their best not to touch the joints inadvertently. But children are more exposed to danger as they can easily come into contact with the live wires during play and face electrocution. Sadly, despite being aware of the danger, the Municipal Council has initiated no action to rectify the power faults,” said some irate visitors.

The PBMC should immediately jump into action and fix the power problems at the popular Gandhi Park. Exposed power cables should be sealed promptly to avoid any electrocution mishap.

 

Port Blair, Mar 30: The Union Minister of Science & Technology and Earth Sciences, Dr. Harsh Vardhan today said that India can now boast of being one of the most scientifically advanced countries and as a result of this, it is now well equipped to tackle any situation effectively arising out of natural calamities and disasters. Inaugurating the Multi-Parametric Geophysical Observatory set up by the Indian Institute of Geomagnetism at Shoal Bay No. 8 today, the Minister attributed this to the invaluable contributions made by our scientists who, he said, continue to make relentless efforts for their scientific innovations for the development of the country.
The Union Minister inaugurated the Observatory in the presence of the Lt Governor, Lt Gen. AK Singh (Retd), Member of Parliament, Shri Bishnu Pada Ray, Chief Secretary, Shri Anand Prakash, Adhyaksha Zila Parishad, Ms VK Mariam Bibi, Smt. Rupa Ray, the State BJP President, Shri Vishal Jolly, senior officers from the A&N Administration, PRIs, besides a good number of general public and school students.
Dr. Harsha Vardhan further stated that after taking charge of the Ministry of Science & Technology and Earth Sciences, he got a chance to see for himself the work & innovation done by our scientists. The world recognizes it and the whole country is proud of our scientists and their scientific works, he added.
Referring to the December 2004 Tsunami disaster which shook the entire Nation, the Minister said that Tsunami was new to all of us and our country was not at all prepared to tackle this natural occurrence. However, after that tragedy, our scientists joined together and we are now well equipped with early warning systems to tackle any eventualities due to disaster like earthquake etc. Dr. Harsh Vardhan said, India is much ahead in terms of Early Warning Systems and this is evident from the fact that about 28 nations depend and act upon the real time data provided by India, which, he said, is a matter of great pride for all of us.
The Minister, who himself is a physician, also noted with appreciation that the Medical College project for A&N Islands which was sanctioned during his tenure as the Health Minister, is moving in the right direction and it will fulfill the long pending demand of the people of these Islands. He also acknowledged the painstaking effort made by the Lt Governor, the Member of Parliament and the local BJP leadership by regularly meeting him in Delhi to get the Medical College project sanctioned.
Dr. Harsha Vardhan said it was his dream from childhood to visit these islands which was fulfilled today. He highlighted the contribution of Veer Savarkar in the freedom struggle who was incarcerated in the Cellular Jail. One can imagine the inhumane tortures meted out to the freedom fighters, who fought for the Country’s Independence. Dr. Harsha Vardhan opined that A&N Islands is a place of pilgrimage where the freedom fighters have made supreme sacrifices in the cause of the motherland. “If there is a sacred place in the country it is Andamans where the National Memorial Cellular Jail is a testimony to the great suffering of the freedom fighters”, he added.
The Minister also presented mementoes to the heads of the Departments who have contributed towards the setting up of the new Multiparametric Geophysical Observatory at Shoal Bay. The dignitaries also planted saplings at the precincts of the Observatory, adding greenery to the campus.
In his address on the occasion, the Lt. Governor briefed the Union Minister about the significance of A&N Islands pertaining to its historical, geological & ecological importance. He said, the A& N Islands which consist of 556 Islands out of which 37 are inhabited, is one of the best hot-spots in the world. The Lt. Governor also touched upon the supreme sacrifices made by our freedom fighters, who withstood all sorts of challenges and fought valiantly to attain independence for our country. He also recalled the contributions of settlers for the development of these islands.
The Lt. Governor said, these Islands are rightly called ‘Islands of good fortune’ and it is a pride for all of us that despite challenges, the Islands have developed and progressed well- the credit goes to the freedom fighters, settlers, the Member of Parliament, the PRIs, the party workers and of course the administration for their constant and untiring efforts towards all-round development of the Islands.
The Lt. Governor also reiterated the resolve and commitment of the Administration to work in synergy to take the Islands on the path of faster progress and this can only be achieved by a concerted team effort by all. He appreciated the move made by the Indian Institute of Geomagnetism (IIG) for setting up of the Geophysical Observatory here in the Islands, considering that these Islands lie in Seismic Zone 5 and that the setting up of such Laboratory is going to be immensely beneficial to the Islands. The Lt. Governor also lauded the efforts of the Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Science (INCOIS), Hyderabad for their frequent updates and early warnings on natural disaster such as earthquake, cyclones etc.
The Lt. Governor also urged the Union Minister to help the Island Administration to set up a Desalination Plant at Mayabunder or Chowra on a pilot project basis in order to overcome water scarcity in these places. He also requested for setting up of Biotechnology Research Centre and said the Administration is ready to extend help, if needed, in this regard.
In brief address on the occasion, the Member of Parliament, Shri Bishnu Pada Ray expressed his happiness that a useful asset has been created in the Islands by establishing the Multiparametric Geophysical Observatory at Shoal Bay and urged the Minster to upgrade this Observatory into a Regional Centre for the benefit of the Islanders.
Earlier, in his welcome address, the Chairman, Governing Council, IIG, Padmashree, Dr. V.P. Dimri said altogether 14 Geophysical Observatories including the one at Shoal Bay No.8 are functioning under Indian Institute of Geomagnetism (IIG) in the country for mitigating natural disaster of varied origins. He said the Geophysical Observatories are placed in different parts of the country and the country has taken a big leap in the field of Science and Technology over the past few years.
The Students of Mannarghat School presented welcome song and national Anthem befitting the occasion.
The function concluded with the vote of thanks proposed by the Director, IIG, Prof. D.S.Ramesh.

Port Blair, Mar 29: It seems that a lot of Islanders have taken the Swachh Bharat Mission, launched by Prime Minister of India, too lightly. Situation is so bad that everywhere in our Islands one can see people peeing openly without caring for others or cleanliness.
One of the readers of Andaman Sheekha has shared images of a driver of a Government Jeep who stopped his Jeep in the middle of the Bazaar and relieved himself infront of public. This is just an example to show urinating in public has taken the shape of a menace in Port Blair.
This is good to see that the Police Department has shown great interest in Swachh Bharat Mission and formed special teams to book garbage throwers.

Recently some people have been booked for throwing garbage in public places, such action has definitely sent a warning across Andaman and Nicobar Islands and people will now remain more careful with garbage.

Continuing this good work the Andaman and Nicobar Police must form a few special teams to impose fine on those who shamelessly urinate in public and create public nuisance.

Infact the Traffic Police teams and PCR police jawans must be given this task to book people for urinating in public, as traffic jawans and PCR parties are always in the ground.

Police teams are going good work and such good work must continue for some more time to ensure that these beautiful Islands remain picture perfect for local residents and all visitors.

Vikramaditya
Port Blair, Mar 26: Achieving a ‘Swachh Bharat’ is on the top of the current government’s agenda but the Agriculture Department of these islands seems to have ignored it if the garbage that has piled up at the Agriculture Department’s Store and Sales Dep
ot at Pathurgadda is any indication.
Stroll into the premises of the Agriculture Store, one can find heaps of empty liquor bottles and plastic glasses dumped abutting the boundary wall and also everywhere else. The presence of large number of empty liquor bottles confirm the prevalence of boozing by departmental people and also outsiders inside the campus of the Department.
“While the government is focusing on cleanliness drive, the agriculture department is least bothered on sanitation, it appears. Open dumping of filth mainly liquor bottles inside the Agriculture Store depot at Pathurgadda is clear testament of the agency’s inertia towards implementing the Swachh Bharat Abhiyaan,” said a pedestrian, Rama Rao.
It is learnt that during evening hours lot of people come inside the campus of Agriculture Department and consume liquor openly. As there is no boundary people easily come inside and enjoy open air boozing.
The senior officials of the Agriculture Department should take a strong note of the situation. Besides initiating action for removal of the garbage, officials posted in the store section should be strictly instructed to keep a watch on such illegal activities.