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Port Blair, Aug. 20: The Member of Parliament Shri Bishnu Pada Ray has submitted a ‘Calling Attention Notice’ in the parliament regarding the pathetic condition of shipping services in the islands. In a press conference held today at MP House, Port Blair, the Member of Parliament said, ‘There are lots of problems to be addressed regarding the shipping services in the islands. In the name of development of Shipping Sector, there are agencies which have been siphoning huge amount of Islands’ funds”, he said.
We have only one dockyard, which was constructed during the Japanese period. Surprisingly even after more than fifty years of independence, the Govt. of India and the Andaman & Nicobar Administration has not been able to construct a single dockyard for repair and maintenance of the existing ships, he said.
In the Standing Committee Meeting of the Island Development Authority held on 26th July 2010, I had raised the issue. It was my suggestion that instead of going in for another dockyard and spending huge amount of money, we should go in for a floating dockyard. This will not only work out to be cheaper but also can be shifted to places as and when required.
In the year 2002, the Administration had allotted the land of Andaman Timber Industries at Bambooflat for the purpose of constructing dockyard. It’s been eight years since then and there is hardly any trace of the dockyard, he said.
Moreover we have only one landing raft at Bambooflat and Chatham and one each in Middle Strait, Oral Katcha, Uttara Jetty and Gandhi Jetty, which is a great inconvenience to the commuters. Even after so many years we are not able to increase the landing rafts in these places where thousands of commuters pass every day.
“The Ariel Bay Jetty at Diglipur is a major failure. Crores of Rupees has been spent on constructing this jetty, which was entrusted to a Chennai based company NSDRC. I’m pained to say that a former IAS officer who was in the islands was involved in it and I have demanded for an enquiry into the matter”, said the Member of Parliament.
In Mithakhari again, the Andaman Harbour Works had constructed a landing raft jetty. Money was pumped in like anything but unfortunate it is that the entire project is a failure. It is the same ALHW which had spent Rs. 100 Crores in a similar project at Lakshadweep and the end result is a failure project. Similar is the case with Junglighat Finger Jetty as it is called.
There were regular ferry services between Junglighat and Mithakhari for the past 40 years but it is now closed after the reconstruction of the jetty by spending crores of Rupees.
The Member of Parliament further said that the boat service between Kalighat to Mayabunder has been stopped now. There is also no service between Mayabunder to Hanspuri, which is a strategic location as the Coco Island that belongs to China is located at a mere distance of 40 kilometers. In this regard I had met the Shipping Minister Shri GK Vasan and the MoS Shipping, Shri Mukul Roy personally and briefed him about the situation, Ray said.
Considering the worst of all the situations in the shipping sector of the islands, I have submitted an attention notice in parliament, where I will be demanding answers from the govt. of India, he added. |
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