Tarun Karthick
Port Blair, 26 October 2023
The Communist Party of India (Marxist) or CPI (M) has called for an investigation by the Anti-Corruption Branch of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) into the renovation work on National Highway-4 and the construction of a bridge at Middle Strait in the Andaman & Nicobar Islands. The party has further urged immediate action to improve the motorability of National Highway-4 in the North and Middle Andaman District to alleviate the suffering of thousands of people who rely on this critical route.
In a letter addressed to Mr. Nitin Gadkari, the Minister of Road Transport & Highways in the Government of India, D. Ayyappan, Secretary of the CPI (M) A & N State Organising Committee, highlighted the deplorable condition of National Highway-4 in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands following recent reconstruction and re-laying by the National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited (NHIDCL).
The letter stated that the reconstruction work of National Highway 4, previously known as the Andaman Trunk Road, connecting the South Andaman and North & Middle Andaman districts, was handed over to NHIDCL in 2016, disregarding the claims of the Andaman Public Works Department (APWD) to carry out the work.
Ayyappan brought to the Minister’s attention that the construction of the Andaman Trunk Road was initially undertaken by the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) during the early 1980s. This task was particularly challenging as it required navigating through dense forests, which are the habitat of the indigenous Jarawa tribes, who were hostile at the time. After completion, the BRO handed over the road to APWD, which maintained it in an unsatisfactory manner until it was eventually transferred to NHIDCL.
NHIDCL undertook the reconstruction and relaying work of the road in phases, from Chidiyatappu in South Andaman District to Aerial Bay in North Andaman over the past seven years, with the entire project reportedly completed. However, one of the two bridges connecting Islands separated through creek, specifically the one connecting Kadamtala to Baratang, has been completed, while the construction of the other bridge connecting Middle Strait to Nilambur (Baratang) has been inexplicably delayed by NHIDCL.
CPI (M) Secretary informed the Minister that the reconstructed road in most parts of the North and Middle Andaman District is in deplorable condition, rendering it unsuitable for vehicular use. Large stretches of National Highway-4 in the North and Middle Andaman District is in a shambolic state, making it virtually impassable.
The renovation work on National Highway-4 was subcontracted to selected contractors from the mainland by NHIDCL. However, the work was not completed to the stipulated standard, resulting in a road that is unfit for motorable use. Ayyappan emphasized that, in many areas, the road is virtually non-existent, posing significant safety risks to travellers.
Notably, the Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) has expressed its inability to send fuel-carrying tankers to North and Middle Andaman unless National Highway-4 is made motorable. Private bus operators have also suspended long-route services in the region, causing hardships for teachers, students, government employees, and workers trying to commute between their homes and workplaces. These issues appear to reflect negligence on the part of NHIDCL and the contractors involved in the renovation work.
A wave of discontentment has swept across the North and Middle Andaman District, leading to road blockades by students, Panchayat-raj Institution members, and the general public.
Furthermore, the construction of the bridge connecting Middle Strait in South Andaman and Nilambur in Baratang Island along National Highway-4, assigned to a contractor by NHIDCL approximately three to four years ago, has ground to a sudden halt. Allegations of suspicious contracts and payments for the work have surfaced in the media, prompting calls for a thorough investigation.
In light of these circumstances, the Andaman & Nicobar State Organising Committee of the CPI (M) recently passed a resolution demanding a comprehensive CBI investigation into the entire renovation work on National Highway-4 and the construction of the bridge at Middle Strait. The party hopes that such an inquiry will identify and hold accountable any corrupt officials, politicians, and contractors involved, thereby restoring the public’s confidence in these vital infrastructure projects.