John Wilbert & Vikramaditya
Port Blair, May 10: Mr. Ranglal Halder, the state president of Andaman and Nicobar Territorial Congress Committee (ANTCC), has accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of misleading residents of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands regarding the 1/30 payment issue. He stated that the BJP is a party that makes empty promises and is misleading residents of the islands about the 1/30 payment, which was ordered by the court, but the BJP is taking credit for it.
Mr. Halder spoke to journalists at Gandhi Bhavan today where he praised the administration for giving 1/30 payment to the left out DMRs, but said that it is necessary to provide regular payment to all employees rather than giving them the benefit of this provision.
Mr. Halder also said that the Lt. Governor never meets with opposition party leaders, despite repeated requests. He stated that the opposition is better suited to determine what is happening within the Islands.
Mr. Ranglal Halder vehemently condemned the recent actions of certain BJP leaders who tried to tarnish the reputation of the Member of Parliament of Andaman and Nicobar Islands. He said that these individuals have levelled baseless allegations against the MP, which Mr.Ranglal Halder has categorically stated lack any supporting evidence. He said that the MP has made significant contributions in the course of his tenure, a fact that is validated by his receipt of the coveted Sansad Ratna award twice. Therefore, Mr. Haldar emphasized that these unwarranted attacks on the MP are deserving of condemnation.
Regarding the Copra purchase on MSP, Halder said that it is being bought on MSP after many years. He stated that the BJP’s move is also an election ‘jumla’, and questioned why MSP for Copra was provided after so many years and why wasn’t MSP provided for Arecanut.
Mr. Halder also spoke about the Great Nicobar Project, stating that the BJP is misleading residents of the islands about the project. He said that the BJP claims that the project will provide employment to residents, but the reality is that no island resident has been employed for the project. Giving example he said that for three major words of bridges and roads, no local youths were given employment.
Expressing his concern over poor quality of NH4 construction works, he demanded a CBI inquiry into the use of NH4 repair funds.
Mr. G Baskar, the chairman of the Congress Campaign Committee, pointed out that Baratang Bridge work is incomplete. He said that water ATMs installation, new Traffic signals installation work and city beautification works are incomplete.
He raised concerns regarding the 100 percent job reservation policy. He pointed out that the online job advertising system is causing difficulties for Islanders, as many Mainlanders are being appointed in government jobs in Andaman.
Additionally, Mr. Bhasker has highlighted the Government’s failure to manage water resources in Port Blair, resulting in a water crisis that has impacted the city’s residents. He has also commented on the frequent power cuts in the city, which have now increased to more than an hour daily.
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