Tarun Karthick
Campbell Bay, 6 May 2021
The summer vacation for schools in Andaman and Nicobar Islands was announced from 1st of May 2021. Further the higher education institutes were also closed down by the administration to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in the Islands.
Nearly 16 teachers and 22 students of ITI are waiting to travel to Port Blair from Car Nicobar after announcement of the vacation and after the higher education institutes were shut. The students of the ITI who belonged to other Islands of Nicobar District like Kamorta, Campbell Bay etc. were sent back to their respective homes by speed boat.
The students and teachers currently stuck at Car Nicobar are in urgent need to travel to Port Blair. Almost all the teachers have some family and medical issues and the students have nothing to do in Car Nicobar as their institute is shut.
Teachers from other parts of the Nicobar District have already left for Port Blair by M.V Kalighat and there was a demand from the teachers stuck at Car Nicobar to divert M.V Kalighat to Car Nicobar, to enable them and the ITI students to travel to Port Blair.
Bharatiya Janata Party, Andaman and Nicobar Islands had also demanded the diversion of M.V Kalighat to enable these students and teachers to travel to Port Blair.
The request for diverting M.V Kalighat to Car Nicobar was not facilitated. There were reports in some media outlets about the Chief Captain of Car Nicobar being strictly against any ship berthing at Car Nicobar. Nicobar Times spoke to Amin Moosa, Spokesperson, Tribal Council, Car Nicobar, who informed us that the Chief Captain has strictly asked for no ships to Car Nicobar, to prevent the virus entering the shores of the Island. Further, he informed that there should be no problem in berthing of ship, if passengers are not disembarking from the ship and if only passengers are transported from Car Nicobar to Port Blair. He also informed that the Chief Captain through Captain of various villages have also requested the passengers intending to travel to Car Nicobar from Port Blair to be patient as the number of COVID-19 cases in Port Blair is rapidly increasing.
The stand of the Chief Captain of Car Nicobar is commendable, because if passengers are allowed to travel from Port Blair to Car Nicobar, there is a huge risk of the infection reaching the shores of the Island.
A & N Administration should quickly find some way to provide transportation to the stuck teachers and students to travel to Port Blair from Car Nicobar.