Campbell Bay, 05 Feb 2021
The rural areas of Andaman and Nicobar Islands have witnessed a lot of unemployment lately and the situation has become worse after the onset of COVID-19 pandemic. Earlier many residents of the remote regions of the Islands organised themselves into Cooperative Societies and used to avail construction projects from the Panchayats and the Panchayat Samities. The construction projects awarded to the Cooperative Societies are a good source of income for the residents of these remote regions.
The Lt. Governor of Andaman and Nicobar Islands exercising his powers under A & N Islands (Panchayats) Regulation 1994 and based on the recommendations of the 3rd and 4th Finance Commission for the UTs and with approval of the Ministry of Home Affairs has abolished all Panchayat Samities in Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
The abolishing of the Panchayat Samities came as a shocker for many of these residents who were completely dependent on their incomes from the construction projects awarded to the Cooperative Societies.
The abolishing of the Panchayat Samities was done amidst the pandemic and since there were reasonable restrictions in the movement of the people even locally, it became impossible for them to obtain information on their due payments.
Many of the Cooperative Societies operating in Campbell Bay, Great Nicobar have executed a number of construction projects for Panchayat Samiti, Campbell Bay and have their bills due to be paid. Since the Panchayat Samities have been abolished now their bills are not being cleared on time and they are not getting any help from the local authorities.
Few members of the Cooperative Societies had earlier met the Secretary Rural Development and Panchayati Raj, Andaman and Nicobar Administration during his recent visit to Campbell Bay. The Secretary had assured that their dues will be cleared soon. The members of the Cooperative Societies allege that even after the assurance of the Secretary no concrete steps have been taken on ground to clear their dues.
“Most of the Cooperative Societies employ the local youth from the villages for executing their construction projects and during the time of the Pandemic nobody had any sort of work and everyone is facing financial difficulties now. The local youths employed in the construction works are now demanding their salaries but due to non-payment of dues to the Cooperative Society by the Panchayat Samiti, Campbell Bay, it is becoming increasingly difficult for the members of the Cooperative Societies even to walk around their village.” commented a local sub-contractor who executes constriction work for the Cooperative Societies.
The members of different Cooperative Societies of Campbell Bay recently decided to protest against the non-payment of their dues and they have planned to directly go on hunger strike if their payments are not cleared soon.
The problem of these members of different Cooperative Societies of Great Nicobar are real and Andaman and Nicobar Administration should clear the dues of all the Cooperative Societies soon so that they can pay the local workers who have worked on the constriction works executed by them.
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