Tarun Karthick
Campbell Bay, 25 July 2022
Mr. E S Rajesh, Pramukh, Panchayat Samiti, Campbell Bay has written a letter to the Hon’ble Lt. Governor of Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Chief Secretary, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Secretary (APWD) and other senior officers of Andaman and Nicobar Administration informing them of the pathetic condition of the North-South Road (State Highway-2) of Great Nicobar Island.
Mr. Rajesh in his letter has mentioned that the residents of Great Nicobar especially from villages of Laxmi Nagar, Gandhi Nagar and Shastri Nagar are facing a lot of problems because of the pathetic condition of the North-South Road.
He informed that BRO handed over the complete road till Shastri Nagar to APWD in 2011. APWD has only been able to properly maintain 12 Km of the road, out of the total 35 Km from 2011 till date. 23 Km of Road is in a pathetic state.
He added that the 12 Km of road maintenance was undertaken as improvement, widening and maintenance work because of which the department incurred huge expenses. He informed the authorities that if only pothole repairing and re-carpeting work is carried out on the left-out stretch of 23 Km of road, it would hardly take eight crores to repair the entire road.
Mr. Rajesh further informed that the pathetic condition of the road is due to the transportation of materials for the expansion of the road beyond 35 Km to Indira Point by BRO.
He also informed the authorities that the pathetic condition of STS Buses is also a direct result of the bad roads.
Pramukh demanded that adequate funds be provided to APWD by Administration for the repair of the road or BRO should hand over the funds for the maintenance of the road, as their extension work of the road is the sole cause of extensive damage to SH-2.
Pramukh also informed the authorities that the general public has decided not to let any vehicle transporting men and material for BRO, APWD or any other Govt. Department to ply on SH-2, if proper road repair work is not started within 15 days.