Tarun Karthick
Campbell Bay, 12 November 2021
The general public of Campbell Bay has been complaining about the foul system of issuing ship tickets by the local administration for a long time. Every time ship tickets are issued at Campbell Bay people start complaining about the whole system and the inconvenience they have to go through.
People allege that the staff of the Assistant Commissioners office are involved in siphoning off the ship tickets by manipulating the issue of receipts for COVID-19 RAT test and providing it to the people known to them through backchannels. The general public who line up to get the tickets are the ones who return empty-handed.
Due to COVID-19 restrictions, only those who test negative for COVID-19 are only allowed to travel by ship to Port Blair. The receipt for the COVID-19 RAT test is issued by the staff of the Assistant Commissioner Office, Campbell Bay. It is being alleged that the staff of the AC Office, Campbell Bay issues COVID-19 RAT Test receipts to the persons known to them before they start issuing the receipts to the general public.
The public alleges that on 12 November 2021 when the RAT receipts were being issued, hardly 09 people entered the building of the Assistant Commissioner’s Office, after which the staff declared that they cannot issue any more receipts for RAT since the quota of tickets has been met.
This is not a one-off incident, every time ship tickets are issued the same complaints are received over and over again.
Many students and other residents today visited the house of the Assistant Commissioner to explain their problems to him after they were refused RAT receipts from his office. The Assistant Commissioner then helped some students, residents and asked his staff to issue RAT receipts to them so that they can get tickets to travel.
Further, people have also complained that when they reach the STARS Counter after getting their COVID-19 RAT result, they are informed that the cabin and deluxe tickets are not available. Many residents have complained that since the RAT receipts are issued to those known to the staff of the Assistant Commissioner’s office even before it is made available to the public, they are the ones who reach the ticketing counter early and get all the cabin and deluxe tickets.
Residents also informed that the staff of the Assistant Commissioner office are irresponsive and irresponsible. They allege that the senior staff who was entrusted to issue the RAT receipts asked them to return at 3:00 Pm on 12th November 2021 and said that he would issue RAT receipts if any tickets are available. The residents reached the AC Office and waited for the staff member from 3:00 Pm, but he only reached the office at 4:45 Pm. The residents further allege that even the phone of the staff member was turned off and no other staff could respond to their queries.
The residents are demanding that the ship tickets should be issued first at the STARS counter and those who secure the ticket should be tested for COVID-19. The risk is the same in both the process as the residents are made to line up even to get the receipt for the RAT test.
The local administration should take strict action against the staff members involved in siphoning off the tickets by manipulating the issue of receipts for RAT.