Tarun Karthick
Port Blair, 18 March 2023
Campbell Bay was the only place in the Nicobar District where everyone, including foreigners, could travel without restrictions. In February 2023, Administration implemented an unannounced rule of not allowing non-locals to travel to Great Nicobar.
No order or notification regarding travel restrictions to Campbell Bay is available in the public domain. Still, the restriction is being enforced for travel by both air and sea.
No instructions or procedure has been notified for non-locals to secure a ticket for travelling to Campbell Bay.
The unannounced rule is becoming extremely frustrating for the residents of Great Nicobar as their non-local relatives are facing difficulties in travelling to the Island. Great Nicobar has several businesses and contractors who regularly source workforce from the mainland and other parts of the Islands. Businesses and contractors are also facing problems in arranging tickets for their workforce.
No procedure has been announced for the residents to apply for tickets for their relatives and employees.
It may be necessary to restrict the movement of outsiders to Great Nicobar due to various reasons, but it is also very important that proper procedure should be notified so that the relatives of the locals and their employees should be able to travel without any problems.