Tarun Karthick
Campbell Bay, 4 June 2022
Citizens living in the far-flung areas of Andaman and Nicobar Islands have high hopes from the upcoming visit of General V K Singh (Retd.), Minister of State for Road Transport & Highways and Civil Aviation.
Roads in several areas of Andaman and Nicobar Islands are in a pathetic state and the residents are tired of the assurances from the authorities. The repair work of the roads is seldom taken up and most of the time only assurances are given.
In recent years, the condition of the roads in Andaman and Nicobar Islands has only gotten worse.
In Great Nicobar, the southernmost Island, SH-2 is in a pathetic state. SH-2 is a crucial road which connects Campbell Bay to other revenue villages, these villages have settlements of Ex-Servicemen Settler families. SH-2 was constructed by the BRO and later handed over to Andaman Public Works Department.
Andaman Public Works Department has hardly repaired ten kilometres of the road after taking it over from the BRO. BRO is still constructing a part of the road to connect Campbell Bay with Indira Point.
In North & Middle Andaman NH-4 is in a pathetic state in many places. The road is under construction and the residents are facing a lot of difficulties due to the slow progress of the work.
Even in South Andaman, many roads are in a pathetic state. One example of a bad road is the Teylrabad road, which is in pathetic condition from a long time.
Several protests have been organised in different parts of the Islands demanding speedy repair of roads, but nothing has changed. Citizens are still suffering in different parts of the Islands and the authorities have nothing to offer, except assurances.
People are hoping that the leaders of the State Unit of Bharatiya Janata Party who are hosting the Minister of State for Road Transport & Highways, gives correct information to the Minister and informs him about the pathetic condition of roads in different parts of the Islands.
General V K Singh is also the MoS for Civil Aviation. In Andaman and Nicobar Islands Civil Aviation is another crucial area which needs a lot of improvement. Andaman and Nicobar Islands stretches for approximately 700 kms from North to South and 38 of the 836 Islands, Islets and Rocks are inhabited.
Nicobar District comprises of isolated Islands far away from the capital city of Port Blair. The isolated Islands of Nicobar District are currently connected by helicopter and shipping services. Indian Air Force also operates a 10-seater Dornier Aircraft for Campbell Bay twice a week.
The facilities for air travel currently made available to the Islanders in Nicobar District, are in no way adequate. There is a huge demand for air travel, especially from Campbell Bay and Car Nicobar, but the Administration has not been able to increase the services with the increasing demand.
There has been no dearth of promises made both by the political leaders and the officers of the administration. Moon has been promised to the residents of the Islands, but instead, they are still searching for firm ground to stand on.
Better air connectivity is a basic need of the residents of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands because of the unique geography of the Islands. The isolated Islands of Andaman and Nicobar Islands are only equipped with basic health care and the residents are referred to Port Blair for treatment when specialised care & treatment is required. Andaman and Nicobar Administration and even the Defence Establishments provides evacuation to the patients from far-flung Islands during an emergency. Patients referred by the doctors of Govt. Hospitals are also accommodated in Helicopters and Dornier by the administration on priority. The worst sufferers are patients, senior citizens and members of the general public who intend to travel for check-ups and treatment without the recommendation of the local Govt. Doctor. These patients have to wait for days and sometimes even for a week before they can secure tickets.
Helicopter Service in the Islands has also become prey to the bureaucratic system. Govt. Servants posted in the far-flung areas use helicopters for joining duties at their place of posting, for travelling during leave etc. The locals are seldom given preference for purposes dubbed non-essential by the high ranking bureaucrats, acting as ticket clerks in the remote Islands.
The remote Islands of the UT badly needs better air travel services. Ever since UDAN the Regional Connectivity Scheme was announced by the Modi Govt., the residents of the Islands have been demanding the operation of fixed-wing aircrafts between Port Blair and Campbell Bay as well as Port Blair and Diglipur.
The upcoming visit of the Minister of State for Road Transport & Highways and Civil Aviation has sparked hope of development in the citizens of the far-flung Islands. Change can only be expected if the Minister is informed of the correct facts.