Sri Vijaya Puram | October 23, 2026
Mr. TSG Bhasker, Chairman of the Campaign Committee of the Andaman and Nicobar Territorial Congress Committee (ANTCC), has urged the Andaman and Nicobar Administration to take immediate action on several issues affecting residents of North and Middle Andaman, including healthcare facilities, road connectivity and access to essential services.
In a letter addressed to the Chief Secretary of the A&N Administration, Bhasker highlighted the lack of essential diagnostic facilities at the Community Health Centre (CHC) in Diglipur, including blood testing facilities, which he said forces patients to travel to Port Blair for investigations. He called for CT scan and X-ray facilities at all CHCs, the appointment of qualified technicians and the provision of MRI facilities at district health centres.
He also raised concerns over the non-functional generator at CHC Diglipur, stating that frequent power cuts were adversely affecting patient care and hospital operations. He urged the authorities to repair or replace the generator immediately to ensure an uninterrupted power supply.
Bhasker further called for regular visits by specialist doctors to CHC Diglipur, Dr. R.P. Hospital at Mayabunder and CHC Rangat, particularly gynaecologists. He pointed out that pregnant women often have to travel to Port Blair for routine consultations and follow-up examinations, resulting in additional expenses and difficult road and boat journeys.
Drawing attention to the condition of the Primary Health Centre (PHC) at Kishorinagar, he highlighted damaged walls and ceilings, leaking roofs and shortages of essential medicines and medical equipment. He urged the Administration to conduct a comprehensive inspection of all PHCs across Middle and North Andaman to assess their infrastructure and identify necessary improvements.
On road connectivity, Bhasker described National Highway-4 (NH-4) as a vital lifeline for residents of North and Middle Andaman and expressed concern over the poor condition of several stretches. He urged the Chief Secretary to take up the matter with the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways and the National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited (NHIDCL) to expedite pending works.
He also stressed the need for regular inter-island boat services with adequate passenger capacity to provide reliable transport alternatives for residents.
Highlighting the condition of village roads across the two regions, Bhasker stated that deteriorating roads were making daily travel difficult for patients, schoolchildren, employees and other commuters. He called for a comprehensive inspection by the Andaman Public Works Department (APWD) and adequate funding for Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs) to improve rural road infrastructure.
Bhasker also expressed concern over the increasing dependence on online systems for essential services, including fertilizer procurement, Fair Price Shop transactions and ship ticket bookings. He pointed out that poor internet connectivity, frequent power cuts and limited digital literacy were creating difficulties for villagers.
According to him, residents are often compelled to travel long distances to access these services, only to find that online servers are not functioning, forcing them to return another day. He urged the Administration to maintain offline and counter-based facilities alongside digital systems to ensure that citizens are not denied essential services because of technical issues or connectivity problems.
Bhasker urged the Chief Secretary to intervene personally and issue necessary directions to the concerned departments to address the issues on a priority basis.
