Port Blair, Dec 06: Mr. Kuldeep Rai Sharma, the Member of Parliament of Andaman and Nicobar Islands has requested the Chief Secretary of Andaman and Nicobar Administration to address Ticket Shortage Issue being faced by Islanders.
In a letter addressed to the Chief Secretary, the Member of Parliament mentioned that the availability of tickets allocated under the Islanders’ quota for Islanders travelling to and from Shaheed Dweep and Swaraj Dweep has become increasingly inadequate.
The Member of Parliament further mentioned that tickets for almost all vessels are fully booked well in advance, sometimes even two days before sailing. This has forced our fellow Islanders to resort to paying exorbitant amounts for tickets in private ferries, which are priced 8 to 10 times more than the Islanders’ fare in DSS-run vessels.
Considering this issue the Member of Parliament proposed an increase in the reservation of seats for Islanders to double. “This will ensure that even on the last day, an islander in urgent need of a ticket to visit Shaheed Dweep or Swaraj Dweep or return, can obtain one at the Islanders’ fare from Port Blair,” he added.