Tarun Karthick
Sri Vijaya Puram, 22 August 2025
A chakka jam was organised at Kalighat Bazar (Diglipur Sub-Division) on 21st August 2025, under the leadership of Mr. Mithun Das, Pradhan of Gram Panchayat Ramnagar, drawing large participation from residents and Panchayati Raj Institution (PRI) representatives. The protest was supported by several local leaders, including Mr. Asit Mondal, Pradhan Kalighat, Ms. Pratima Roy, Pradhan Nabagram, Mr. Srivas Das, Adhyaksh Zilla Parishad – N & M Andaman, Ms. Suniti Halder, Zilla Parishad Member and State Secretary BJP Andaman, Mr. Shyamal Bowmik, Pradhan R.K. Gram, and Ms. Alpana Biswas, President Diglipur BJP, among others.
The chakka jam was staged to press for several long-pending public demands, notably:
– Posting of permanent EE/AE at the Electricity Office, Sitanagar.
– Installation of a dedicated transformer at Kalighat.
– Strengthening of health services at Kalighat PHC and its sub-centres.
– Improved BSNL connectivity and early commissioning of pending towers.
During the protest, concerned officials engaged with the demonstrators and issued assurances. The Assistant Commissioner, Diglipur, along with the SE (Electricity), assured that a meeting with PRIs would be convened shortly to prioritise the posting of regular EE and AEs at the Diglipur Electricity office. The AE (T/D), Sitanagar (In-charge), provided written assurance addressing basic ground-level issues.
On the healthcare front, the Medical Officer In-charge of Kalighat PHC confirmed in writing that all posted medical staff would remain at their designated duty stations and would not be deputed elsewhere. Meanwhile, the SDO, BSNL Diglipur, assured the installation of a 2G network at Ramnagar and promised that the Nishintapur BSNL tower would be made operational by the end of September.
With these commitments—both written and verbal—the chakka jam concluded peacefully. However, PRI leaders underlined that they would closely monitor the progress of the assurances and warned that further protests could be launched if the promises are not fulfilled within the assured timelines.
