Tarun Karthick
Sri Vijaya Puram, 07 May 2025
The Communist Party of India (Marxist), Andaman & Nicobar State Organising Committee, held a mass demonstration on Tuesday in front of the DSS Gate at Sri Vijaya Puram. The protest was organised to highlight the alleged failure of the central government to resolve persistent shipping issues affecting the islands.
The demonstrators demanded immediate steps to ensure ship tickets are available to all intending passengers during the ongoing summer vacation season. The party also urged the government to introduce chartered flights as a temporary measure and called for the acquisition of additional ships to strengthen inter-island connectivity.
Inaugurating the protest, D. Ayyappan, Secretary of the CPI(M) Andaman & Nicobar State Organising Committee, criticised the BJP-led central government for the unavailability of passenger ships to the mainland. He pointed out that the lone operational passenger vessel, M.V. Swarajdweep, was currently undergoing its annual drydock survey and had not been deployed during this critical travel period.
Ayyappan further alleged that the construction of two passenger ships, each with a capacity of 1,200 passengers, at Cochin Shipyard had been halted by the central government despite significant investments made by the Andaman & Nicobar Administration. He claimed that these delays and cancellations have created hardship for residents trying to travel to the mainland. The high cost of air travel, he said, was another concern, with the government allegedly failing to regulate private airline fares in the island-mainland sectors.
CPI(M) State Secretariat Member B. Chandrachoodan, who also addressed the gathering, echoed similar criticisms, alleging that the central government had failed on multiple fronts in addressing the problems faced by islanders. Other speakers included SP Kalairajan, State Organising Committee Member; senior leader P. Banerjee; and NKP Nair, Port Blair Area Committee Member.
The protest was led by D. Laxman Rao and P. Sathyapal, both State Secretariat Members. R. Surendran Pillai, President of the Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU), was also in attendance. The demonstration witnessed participation from a large number of party workers and supporters.