Archives for September 2024

Staff Correspondent
Sri Vijaya Puram, Sept 27: Port Blair, the capital of Andaman and Nicobar Islands, holds a special emotional and historical significance for its residents. The recent renaming of the town to Sri Vijaya Puram has sparked a wave of dissent across the islands. Advocate Prohit Mohan Lal, a well-known legal personality and a proud islander, has taken a firm stand against the decision by filing a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) challenging the name change in the Calcutta High Court’s Circuit Bench at Port Blair. The PIL has garnered widespread support from the islanders, many of whom feel strongly connected to the original name of the city.
Talking to Andaman Sheekha about today’s court proceedings Advocate Prohit Lal informed that the matter was scheduled for a final order today, where the court referred to a 2024 Supreme Court judgment related to the renaming of a place in Maharashtra. According to this ruling, the power to rename cities lies solely within the executive branch, and the court cannot interfere in such matters. The presiding judge emphasized that the executive authority has the absolute right to make decisions on renaming places and that the judiciary must respect this prerogative.
Advocate Prohit Lal acknowledged the importance of the Supreme Court’s judgment but argued that it does not directly apply to the case of Port Blair. He pointed out that the situation in Maharashtra involved a legislative assembly’s decision, with the necessary cabinet approval and statutory scrutiny. In contrast, the renaming of Port Blair was carried out without following these processes.
Despite the Supreme Court’s ruling, Advocate Lal and his legal team made a compelling argument that the renaming process in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands lacked transparency and failed to follow due procedure. The court, in response, advised the petitioners to gather more information about the 2018 committee that proposed the name change and its statutory setup.
Advocate Prohit Lal has decided to temporarily withdraw the PIL to collect additional documents and information as per the court’s suggestion. He explained that they would use the Right to Information (RTI) Act to obtain details about the committee’s proceedings, its statutory powers, and whether it adhered to prescribed rules. Once they have gathered this information, they plan to present it before the court once again.
The lawyer assured that the fight is far from over and that he and his team will continue to challenge the renaming on the grounds of procedural lapses. “We are committed to bringing justice to the people of Andaman and Nicobar Islands,” Lal stated. “The 2018 committee’s proceedings, its statutory setup, and the rules it followed will be thoroughly examined. This issue is not just about a name, but about ensuring that due process is followed in decisions that affect the identity and emotions of the people.”
Advocate Lal also highlighted the broader issue of the limited powers granted to Union Territories (UTs) like Andaman and Nicobar Islands under the Indian Constitution. Unlike other Union Territories that have legislative assemblies, Andaman and Nicobar Islands do not have this privilege, and as a result, their representation and say in decision-making processes are severely limited.
“Union Territories like ours have very limited powers. Even those UTs with legislative assemblies have some say, but we are left with almost none,” he said. “This structural flaw needs to be addressed to ensure that the voice of the people is heard, especially in matters that directly affect their identity and heritage.”

Rabindranath Biswas
Kamorta ,Sept. 27: Vehicle ferry service in Kamorta, Champin, Hitui and Munak Islands was severely disrupted owing to malfunctioning of two vehicle ferry boats ferrying in the island.
According to information, the situation is extremely grim in Kamorta, Champin, Hitui and Munak as the motor vessel the is the sole commuting means in these islands and the service provided by it was disrupted owing to malfunctioning of vehicle ferry boats MV Galathia as well as MV Barren.
According to sources, the residents of these islands demanded that these ferry boats should be decommissioned as they have reached decrepit condition while the MV Galathia developed holes beneath, they claimed. And the administration stopped the service of MV Galathia and placed only MV Barren in service. And now since the Barren has also developed a major snag, the residents especially school going children of the islands such as Champin, Hitui and Munak are suffering a lot, they rued.
The situation is unspeakable as the exams in schools are going on while the students couldn’t reportedly attend schools and write the exams yesterday, they further alleged. Though the ferry boat MV Barren was repaired and placed in service, the residents of these islands reportedly can’t rely on the boat and its service as it may breakdown at any moment, they said. In absence of the boat service, residents of these islands reportedly used small dinghies, however, it was highly risky and perilous in the inclement weather and/or rough sea conditions to sail in the tiny dinghies, they said.
They reportedly transmitted a message/signal to the Chief Secretary, Director of Shipping Services and the Member of Parliament as well and apprised them of all the grievous situation they were confronting. However, the higher authorities assured that they would take up the matter on priority. The residents of Kamorta and other islands were reportedly waiting for the redressal; and they said that new boat should have been placed in service but the defunct MV Barren hasn’t been replaced by a new one yet, they lamented.
And the residents now don’t know the reason why the matter is not taken seriously while it is much concerning, the decried. It is a serious issue and the administration should immediately resolve it as ferry boat service is life-line in this group of islands, and without it patients and students are put in grievous situation, they rued.
The denizens of these islands further said that the DSS carried out a mending on the MV Barren but it doesn’t guarantee how many days it will sail and then they will have to face the wrath of the situation again in the event of it going kaput, they warned. They would further talk to the administration so as to resume the service with a new boat so that they face no such difficulties in future. However, if their demand isn’t met, the Tribal Council along with students and the general public would mount a peaceful agitation in front of the Office of the Assistant Commissioner, they further warned.