Tarun Karthick
Sri Vijaya Puram, 28 April 2025
The Bharatiya Janata Party, Andaman & Nicobar Islands, has demanded the immediate resumption of the services of the Nalanda and Sindhu vessels for the North and Middle Andaman District and for mainland cities such as Chennai, Visakhapatnam, and Kolkata. This demand comes following mounting requests from the general public and public representatives.
BJP State President Mr. Ajoy Bairagi, in a letter dated 15th April 2025, highlighted the serious difficulties faced by the residents of Diglipur and Mayabunder due to the unilateral discontinuation of the essential services of the Nalanda and Sindhu vessels by the Shipping Department. He stated that these vessels had long served as a vital and affordable mode of transport, particularly benefiting patients requiring medical referrals to G.B. Pant Hospital at Sri Vijaya Puram.
He pointed out that the replacement of these vessels with small speedboats has caused significant hardship, especially for medically vulnerable passengers, as speedboats are neither advisable nor sufficient for the needs of the people of the North and Middle Andaman District.
Further, Mr. Ajoy Bairagi emphasised the strong demand from the Telugu community and other residents for restoring ship connectivity between Sri Vijaya Puram and mainland cities like Visakhapatnam, Chennai, and Kolkata, especially during the summer vacation period. He noted that many families, who cannot afford the high cost of air travel, depend heavily on these ship services to visit their native places.
In his letter, Mr. Bairagi requested the Chief Secretary and concerned authorities to take immediate and positive action to restore the services of Nalanda and Sindhu services to the North and Middle Andaman and to arrange special monthly sailings connecting Sri Vijaya Puram to the mainland cities.