Neeraj & Prabhakar Rao
Port Blair, Aug 17: In a powerful display of solidarity and outrage, the ANIIMS Student Council organized a candlelight protest march today, starting from Cellular Jail and concluding at Flag Point. The protest was in response to the horrific rape and murder of a doctor in Kolkata, which has sent shockwaves across the nation. The march, which began at 5:30 PM, saw a significant turnout, with students, health workers, parents, civil society members, and the general public joining hands to condemn the brutal incident.
The atmosphere was sober as participants walked shouting slogans like “We want Justice”, holding Placards & candles, a symbol of hope and justice for the victim.
The march aimed to raise awareness about the safety concerns faced by medical professionals and to demand stricter measures to ensure their protection.
Upon reaching Flag Point, the gathering was addressed by Dr. Pragya Sharma, Director of ANIIMS. In her heartfelt speech, she expressed deep sorrow over the incident and emphasized the importance of security for all medical staff. Dr. Sharma stated, “What happened is deeply tragic, and we all stand united in this moment of grief. In our hospital, we are committed to ensuring the safety of all our students and doctors, regardless of gender. Every child and doctor is equally important to us, and we will not tolerate any breach of their security. We are all in this together, and we will do everything in our power to protect our medical community.”
Following Dr. Sharma’s address, Dr. Suja Antony, Director of Health Services, A & N Administration, also spoke to the gathering. She expressed her profound grief and condemned the incident, labeling it as “shameful” and “below humanity.” Dr. Antony voiced her concerns about such incidents occurring in independent India and emphasized the need for collective action. We stand by our fraternity because this is a tragic incident that could happen to any of us tomorrow. We assure you that we will do our utmost to ensure the safety of our doctors, nurses, paramedical staff, and everyone working in hospitals, not only in Port Blair but also in other islands. We also urge the public to show respect to our medical professionals, who serve tirelessly in difficult conditions. This is not just the responsibility of the directors; it is a collective responsibility of the entire community.”

Rabindranath Biswas
Diglipur, Aug 12: In response to the widespread attacks on minorities, particularly Hindus, in post-Hasina Bangladesh, a massive protest was held Diglipur today.
As per report, a massive protest against the atrocities and attacks on Hindus in Bangladesh was held in Diglipur today. Significant crowd of protesters gathered in front of the Assistant Commissioner’s Office here at around 03:00 pm and shouted slogans. The local police, on the other hand, were deployed at the protest site in view of the protest and to maintain law and order situation. Barricades were placed at the gate of the Assistant Commissioner’s Office and the police were seen standing close to the barricades.
The protesters then started marching from in front of the AC’s Office at around 04:00 pm and traversed all the vantage points in Diglipur Bazaar areas such as Diglipur Police Station, Fish Market, Diglipur main market, Madhupur Road and then they returned from Madhupur Road and halted and gathered in the centre of the Diglipur Bazaar. The protesters while marching shouted slogans: “Bangadeshi Hindu ke upar atyachar bandh karo”, “Bangadesh sarkar jabab do”, “Duniya ke Hindu ek ho”, “Diglipur ke Hindu ek ho”, “Hindu dharmic sthal todna bandh karo”, “Bharat ko Hindu Rashtra karna hoga”, “Rohingya go back”, etc. Then after collecting in the centre of the Diglipur Bazaar, they addressed the public. Addressing the public, the prominent Diglipur BJP leaders delivered their speeches one after one in which they voiced their concern on the atrocities being undoubtedly inflicted on the minorities especially the Hindus in multiple places in Bangladesh and urged the Modi govt. to engage directly with the interim government to end this outbreak of violence, including the targeting of Hindus, and to bring those responsible to justice.

The protest was organized by the BJP, Diglipur Unit and Mr. Asit Baroi, BJP Observer, N & M Andaman reportedly thanked the local administration and police for their cooperation in the protest.

The Diglipur Bazaar remained reportedly closed from 03:00 pm to 05:00 pm in support of this protest, while the local police reportedly remained dutiful and alert during the entire protest which reportedly peacefully concluded, the report further said.

Port Blair, Aug 11: The 32nd installation ceremony of Inner Wheel Club, Port Blair was held at Hotel Sea Shell Corals Cove, Minnie Bay here yesterday evening. The Chief Secretary, A&N Administration, Mr. Keshav Chandra, IAS, was the chief guest on the occasion.
Addressing the gathering, the chief guest lauded the efforts of the members of the Club both past and present and urged them to continue the good work in caring and helping the needy people of these Islands. He lauded the zeal and enthusiasm of womenfolk from different walks of life, who have come together for a common cause to elevate the sufferings of the underprivileged and also for the development of the society through their innovative ideas and perseverance. The Chief Secretary also mentioned about how women have evolved in society over the years and are making significant contributions through various capacities. He also wished the newly installed members good luck in all their endeavours.
In her welcome address, the outgoing President, Ms. Bakhtawar Noble thanked her fellow members for their support in implementing various projects for the underprivileged children, needy women and elderly.
In her address, the newly installed President of the Inner Wheel Club Port Blair for the year 2024-25, Mrs. Neeta Agrawal promised to leave no stone unturned and carry forward the baton in caring for the needy. She also highlighted the theme for this year viz. ‘Heartbeat of Humanity- every beat counts , every action matters’ and sought the support and help of her fellow club members to carry on the work with the same zeal and enthusiasm. She also outlined the plans of the club which will particularly focus on welfare and development of children, women, senior citizens and also creating awareness on various issues.
Mrs. Charu Sreedharan is the new Vice President, Bakhtawar Noble, IPP, Mrs. Pallavi Gupta, Secretary, Priya Krishnan, Joint Secretary, Mrs. Usha Stephen, Treasurer, Rajni Ahuja , ISO and Vaishakhi Khurana, Editor.
The chief guest also released the club bulletin on the occasion. He along with the club member also handed over personal clothing and sanitation kit for girl child inmates of Pranab Kanya Sangh and also felicitated Ms Anuradha Rao, Guide at NSCB Island for her outstanding contribution in serving the community.
A power point presentation on projects during the year was presented by Ms Komal Anand, Past Secretary, IWC.
The programme concluded with the vote of thanks proposed by the Vice President, Charu Sreedharan.

Rabindranath Biswas
Diglipur, Aug 09: The Assistant Commissioner, Diglipur Mr. Aditya Kumar Asthana, (DANICS) accompanied by circle Patwari Mr. Loknath visited the site of the fire accident close to Subhashgram Fish Market in the afternoon yesterday.
According to a local news channel, the Assistant Commissioner talked to the affected persons who lost their goods and personal belongings in the fire accident yesterday morning. Talking to the channel, Mr. Aditya Kumar Asthana said that compensation will be extended to the families affected by the fire as per NDRF norms. The AC also said that all possible assistance would be reportedly extended to the victims.
When asked if the compensation to the fire victims of Sitanagar Electricity Barrack given yet, Mr. Aditya Kumar Asthana said that the compensation list was reportedly framed as per NDRF norms for the victims of the Sita Nagar fire incident and it has already been reportedly submitted by the administration, and is awaiting approval, he said.

Port Blair, Aug 8: The much-needed renovation of the public toilet block at Billiground Bazar, near PHC Billiground, was completed and reopened today by Mr. Manojit Halder, Pradhan of Harinagar Gram Panchayat, at 10 AM. The renovation came after concerns were raised last year by Andaman Sheekha Daily about the severely dilapidated condition of the facility.
Responding to the public outcry, Mr. Halder had assured the Chief Editor of Andaman Sheekha that the issue would be addressed promptly. True to his word, the Harinagar Gram Panchayat prioritized the renovation, with Mr. Halder and his team taking swift action to restore the toilet block for public use.
The reopening ceremony saw the presence of several PRI members of Harinagar Gram Panchayat, invited dignitaries, former Pradhan Mr. Hirenmoy Roy, and local villagers. The newly renovated “Pay and Use” toilet block was warmly received by the community, with many expressing satisfaction over the improved facility.
However, the event was not without controversy. Some villagers criticized the “lavish” expenditure on the reopening ceremony, questioning the necessity of such a grand event for a mere renovation. Despite the mixed reactions, the renovated toilet block is now fully operational, offering a much-needed public amenity to the residents of Billiground.

Vikramaditya
Port Blair, Aug 7: In a shocking incident, an electric bus operated by the State Transport Service (STS) lost control and crashed into the passenger terminal building at the Mohanpura Bus Terminal in the evening today. According to sources, the accident occurred soon after the driver /mechanic started the bus and subsequently lost control over the bus, causing the bus to veer off course and ram into the building.
The crash resulted in injuries to some passengers but there is no report of any casualty. While three people have been reportedly admitted, some others were reportedly released after first aid. Emergency services, including police and ambulances, were promptly dispatched to the scene to provide assistance and conduct an investigation.
Initial reports indicate that the situation was chaotic, with injured passengers receiving immediate medical attention. Authorities are currently investigating the exact cause of the accident and assessing the extent of the damage.

Port Blair, Aug 06: The Chief Secretary, A&N Administration, Shri Keshav Chandra, IAS today launched the School Infrastructure Monitoring System (SIMS) Portal in the Conference Hall of Secretariat in the presence of Commissioner-cum-Secretary(Education), Smti Dilraj Kaur, IAS, Secretary (Education), Shri L. Kumar, IAS and other senior Officers of A&N Administration.
This web Portal will enable the Education Department to monitor the infrastructure details of each school on a real time basis. These data will be used to fulfil the shortage of each school and monitor the status efficiently for smooth functioning of the schools.
Features of the application/Website:
• The cluster can enter the details of the present infrastructure of their feeder schools and submit a new requisition against the requirement/shortage.
• Three categories of the component are monitored in the portal i.e. Civil Infrastructure, Human Resource & IT Infrastructure.
• The cluster will have the access for all the feeder schools’ data and the block will have access to all the schools under their zone.
• Visual dashboards for quick insights into the condition of school facilities.
• The teachers’ dashboard includes present availability and surplus/shortage for regularly monitoring the teachers shortage.
• The Monitoring can be done at Cluster Level, Zonal Level, State Level and Administration Level.
• The planning authority of the Department can update the action plan against each requisition of the schools. This will help the authority to monitor the status of procurement/works.
• When the requisition is fulfilled, the status of the requisition can be updated in the portal to keep track of all the demands and its fulfilment.
• All the details pertaining to the civil works are also monitored in the portal for various stages like Estimate Stage, Technical Sanction, AAES, Tender, Work Progress and Work Completion. This allows the Department to easily monitor the progress of the work.

 

Neeraj Kujur & Rabindranath Biswas
Diglipur, Aug 05: The Hon’ble Member of Parliament of Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Mr. Bishnu Pada Ray, held a Press Conference at Port Blair today.

The lone MP from A & N Islands raised a plethora of issues during the press conference. He said that the govt. of India will start drilling for oil extraction from the Andaman Sea. The Ministry of Petrochemical is launching projects for exploring Andaman which is declared as EEZ. He further said that its project and a Norwegian petrol chemical company will start drilling to extract oil on 15th October 2024, for the first time in the history of these islands.

There are four projects of this type and initially three will be started. The budget of the project is 2500 crore, he said. One will be done offshore.

Speaking on solid waste management, he said three Wards in Port Blair may be benefited with electric supply produced by the use of solid waste, as affirmed by the Chief Secretary, A & N Administration. The acquisition/allotment of land required for this purpose is in the pipeline, he said. He further said he would visit other companies in Mumbai for exploring possibilities of setting up similar projects suiting the geographical features of these islands.

Then he lashed out at the Honourable Lieutenant Governor. He said in the press conference that Lieutenant Governor is the Chairman of ANIIMS and the board of directors and members are all IAS Officers, and the people of A & N Islands know well what is the condition of GB Hospital which is under ANIIMS. He further said that he has already started talking with experts on how to sunder ANIIMS from the non-technical officials and will put his best efforts to move forward the ANIIMS and function smoothly under the policies of govt. of India.

He then raised the question in respect of suspension of land diversion from 2019; he asked on what grounds the land diversion is pigeonholed if there was any statutory or executive order in its support. The suspension of land diversion into commercial has triggered unemployment in the islands, he alleged.

Then he said that the A & N Administration ceased the supply of DAP and urea to the farmers and as a result of which vegetable production cost has increased which in turn caused the vegetable price to go high as the farmers have to reportedly purchase these two prime fertilizers from black market at exorbitant prices.

He said that diversion of land into commercial will open up avenues for the unemployed youths and which is not happening sadly, he pointed out. And also urged the LG not to infuriate the youths of these islands, and since he was elected an MP he will continue to raise issues and become the voice of the people he said.

He further said that the LG, MP and PM are merely “janta ka sevak” and the LG is not bigger than the PM, he should realise this fact, the MP said. The Member of Parliament then asked what is the condition of all departments in A & N Islands and urged the LG to reflect on and deliver.