Tarun Karthick
Sri Vijaya Puram, 08 December 2025
Residents of North and Middle Andaman on Monday launched a massive protest and chakka jam at Rangat Bazaar, demanding the immediate commencement of black-top road construction on NH-4 by the National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited (NHIDCL).
The deteriorating condition of NH-4 has been a long-standing issue, with locals enduring severely damaged stretches for over six to seven years. Despite repeated appeals from the public and hundreds of letters from political leaders, road conditions have continued to worsen rather than improve. Even densely populated areas such as Rangat remain affected by unsafe road surfaces.
Protesters accused NHIDCL of undertaking only superficial repair works whenever public anger intensifies. Speakers at the dharna asserted that temporary patchwork or symbolic dumping of material would not be accepted this time. They demanded a concrete, sustained start to full-scale black-topping.
The demonstrators also insisted that only the Executive Director of NHIDCL in the Andaman & Nicobar Islands would be acceptable for dialogue and negotiation. They vowed to continue the protest until genuine, on-ground work begins and visible progress is ensured.
As of the filing of this report, the dharna continues and NH-4 remains blocked at Rangat Bazaar.
