ANDAMAN SHEEKHA

The True Mirror of A & N Islands

Archives for May 8, 2023

Left out DRMs of Andaman and Nicobar Islands to get benefits of 1/30 pay soon: Vishal Jolly

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John Wilbert & Vikramaditya
Port Blair, May 09: Mr. Vishal Jolly, the member of the National Executive Committee of the Bharatiya Janata Party and former President of the Andaman and Nicobar Pradesh Committee, has announced that all left out DRM employees in the administration will soon receive the benefit of 1/30th pay. The administration will soon issue an order in this regard, he added.

Addresing a press conference at the BJP headquarters this morning Mr. Jolly said that several organizations, including the Indian Labor Union, had been continuously demonstrating for the demand of 1/30th pay for DRM employees working in various departments of the administration. While some DRM employees have already received the benefit, others in certain departments were left out. After continuous demonstrations and demands, the administration has finally agreed to the demand.

He added that there has been progress in the various regions of the Nicobar Islands. The administration aims to ensure that the benefits of various schemes reach every individual. He also informed the media that NAFED will soon begin purchasing copra at Minimum Support Price. NAFED has developed a portal for farmers’ registration in this regard.

Mr. Jolly said that the procurement of copra was stopped by NAFED since 2012. The issue of purchasing Copra has been raised at all levels by the BJP’s Pradesh Unit, including meetings with the Agriculture Minister and during the Home Minister’s visit to these islands.

The government has already placed an order to purchase copra at MSP, and the purchase will begin soon through NAFED and other organizations. This will directly benefit the coconut farmers, and the benefit will be credited directly to their accounts.

Mr. Jolly added that recently he had a positive meeting with the Lieutenant Governor on various issues of the islands.

He also emphasized the importance of the Great Nicobar Island Project, which is crucial for the country’s security. The completion of this project worth Rs 78,000 crores will ensure that the Andaman and Nicobar Islands become a Singapore-like destination in the coming years. He stated that those who oppose this project are playing politics with the country’s security. BJP’s Pradesh Vice-President M. Vinod and others were also present during the press conference.

Member of Parliament requests Lt. Governor to order at least four new vessels of 300 pax capacity and two vessels of at least 500 pax capacity for A & N Islands

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Port Blair, May 08: The Member of Parliament of Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Shri. Kuldeep Rai Sharma has requested the Lt. Governor of Andaman and Nicobar Islands to order at least four vessels of 300 pax capacity and two vessels of at least 500 pax capacity for Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

In a letter addressed to the Lt. Governor of Andaman and Nicobar Islands, the Member of Parliament mentioned that the shipping services are the lifeline of our Islands but among the ships available at present, for far flung Islands, only two ships, namely MV Sindhu and MV Nalanda are new and providing desirable services to the people of Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

He added that other ships operating in the region are comparatively very old and not in a good shape to provide service to the passengers in a desired manner.

For instance, he mentioned that MV Chowra, MV Sentinel, MV Dering and MV Bharat Seema are several decades old and in the next few years these ships will be out of service. MV Kalighat and MV Campbell are also slowly getting old, this is the reason why these ships require frequent repair and maintenance works.

The Member of Parliament added that considering this it is necessary for us to prepare ourselves for the future needs and order for new vessels now so that in the next 4 to 5 years, Andaman and Nicobar Islands can get some good ships, which can provide non-stop service to all the islands, including the remotest ones.

He added that Islanders have observed that most of the time in a year, there is a shortage of ships for remote Islands due to several reasons like annual surveys, repairs, etc. “New ships will reduce repair time, be more efficient in providing service,” he added.

Hence he requested the Lt. Governor to order at least four vessels of 300 pax capacity and two vessels of at least 500 pax capacity for Andaman and Nicobar Islands. “By doing so, in the next five years, we will have sufficient ships for efficient management of ships for remote Islands,” he added.

Vishal Jolly calls on Lt. Governor at Raj Niwas and Highlights various Issues

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Port Blair, May 08: Mr. Vishal Jolly, National Executive Member, BJP & Member Home Ministry Advisory Committee, GoI today met the Lt. Governor at Raj Niwas and highlighted following issues:
The issue regarding early approval of granting 1/30th pay to all the DRMs presently employed under all departments of A & N Administration was raised and the Lt. Governor has reportedly informed that positive steps in this regard have already been taken.
Mr. Vishal Jolly raised & discussed another larger issue of “ease of living” as well as “ease of doing business”. He pointed out that the general public, especially the Middle as well as Lower Middle-Class people, small scale business community etc are facing immense hardships to get smaller things done at all departments having larger direct public dealings. From land registration to land conversion to getting approval or permission of earth cutting to demarcation, to sub-division to every other usual thing remains stagnant for much longer time.
Conversion/Diversion of land is not done for years together and that has stalled the process of development in the private sector. People who have availed loan for the purpose of raising construction of their residential or commercial buildings are forced to suffer due to their pending applications of land conversion/diversion.
Commercial activities are hit badly due to pendency of diversion application and the Mission of Atma Nirbhar Bharat is getting defeated due to this larger issue. Mr. Jolly humbly requested the Lt. Governor to prepare & release an official Citizen Charter by fixing time limits for every such aforementioned acts and deeds in relation to every department having larger public dealings.
As per a release issed by BJP office, the Lt. Governor has reportedly assured to take all positive needful steps in this regard at the earliest.
Mr. Vishal Jolly further wholeheartedly thanked the Lt. Governor, the Chief Secretary-A & N Administration, the then Registrar of Co-operative Societies Mr. Goyal and all other officials involved in the process of restarting the procurement of COPRA by NAFED after a gap of 11-12 years. By restarting the procurement of COPRA, thousands of farmers dealing with COPRA, especially the Nicobari Tribal Community would be largely benefited.
The issue of early completion of the remaining stretches of National Highway-4 was also raised & discussed, to which the Lt. Governor has informed that the works are proceeding at a fast pace and the same would soon get completed.

 

BSNL Mobile Signal Towers Fail During Power Cuts in Billiground Region

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Port Blair, May 08: The non-functioning of BSNL mobile signal towers during electric power cuts in the regions of Billiground, Nimbudera, Basantipur, and Swadeshnagar is causing severe problems for the general public, especially when it comes to internet connectivity. The banks in these areas, namely the State Bank of India, Billiground Branch, and the Andaman and Nicobar State Cooperative Bank Ltd Billiground Branch, are also facing issues due to the complete digitalization of their services, which rely on BSNL’s internet connectivity.
Talking to Andaman Sheekha the Pradhan of Harinagar Gram Panchayat, Mr. Manojit Halder said that the poor backup of battery and the unavailability of generator sets at BSNL towers at Billiground and Nimbudera are causing the signal towers to fail during power cuts. Furthermore, the generator set of the Swadeshnagar BSNL office is also under repair, which is exacerbating the situation.
He said that mobile networks have become a lifeline for people in today’s world, and the non-functioning of signal towers is causing undue stress and inconvenience to the general public. They are unable to make important calls, send messages or access the internet during power cuts, which are a common occurrence in the area.
In light of this issue, the Chief General Manager of A & N Islands Telecom Circle (BSNL), Port Blair, has been urged by the Pradhan of Harinagar Gram Panchayat to take immediate action to rectify the situation.
He also requested that the battery backup of the signal towers is improved, and generator sets are made available at Billiground, Nimbudera, and Basantipur. As the generator set at Swadeshnagar is under repair, speedy resolution of the issue is necessary to alleviate the problems faced by the people of the area.

 

Low pressure area over Southeast Bay of Bengal and adjoining South Andaman Sea

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Port Blair, May 08: As per Meteorological Department’s weather report, thundersquall (wind speed reaching 60-70 kmph) is likely to occur at one or two places over A&N Islands. Heavy to very heavy rain (07-20 cm) is likely to occur at one or two places over Nicobar Islands andheavy rain (07-11 cm) is also likely to occur at one or two places over Andaman Islands on May 9.Thundersquall (wind speed reaching 60-70 kmph) is likely to occur at one or two places over Andaman Islands. Thundersquall (wind speed reaching 70-80 kmph) is likely to occur at one or two places over Nicobar Islands. Heavy to very heavy rain (07-20 cm) is also likely to occur at a few places with extremely heavy rain (>20 cm) at one or two places over Nicobar Islands and heavy rain (07-11 cm) likely to occur at one or two places over Andaman Islands on May 10 & 11.
Thundersquall (wind speed reaching 60-70 gusting to 80 kmph ) is likely to occur at one or two places over Nicobar Islands. Thundersquall (wind speed reaching 70-80 gusting to 90 kmph) is likely to occur at one or two places over Andaman Islands and heavy to very heavy rain (07-20 cm) is also likely to occur at one or two places over Andaman Islands on May 12.
Due to the formation of low pressure area over Southeast Bay of Bengal and adjoining South Andaman Sea at 0830 hrs IST of May 8 and possibility of intensification into a cyclonic storm, fishermen have been advised not to venture into the sea till May 12.
For further enquiries / information, one may contact helpline of State Emergency Operation Centre at Helpline No. 1070 &District Emergency Operation Centre at Helpline No. 1077.For any emergency/assistance at sea, call Coast Guard SAR Agency at Toll Free number 1554.

 

Online applications invited for the posts of Industries Promotion Officer (Chemical) and Economic Investigator

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Port Blair, May 08: Applications have been invited online from the eligible candidates who possess the required educational qualification for the posts of Industries Promotion officer (Chemical) Group-B (NG) and Economic Investigator Group-C in District Industries Centre, A & N Administration. The application in full shape should be uploaded online from 10.05.2023 (11.00 AM) to 10.06.2023 (12.00 Midnight).
The details in respect of vacancy, educational qualification, eligibility criteria and other instructions are available online at the Administration’s portal https://erecruitment.anandaman.gov.in and https://andaman.gov.in, a press release from DIC said.

 

Chief Secretary reviews the progress of remedial measures underway to resolve Power Crisis

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Port Blair, May 08: The Chief Secretary, A&N Administration, Shri Keshav Chandra, IAS had a detailed meeting today with the Senior Officers and Technical Team of Electricity Department to review the progress of remedial measures underway to resolve the problems being faced by public due to frequent interruption in power supply and to find out a permanent solution.
The reason for interruption/outages as analysed was mainly due to under frequency/overload as there is substantial gap between demand and supply as a result of prolonged hot season (unlike previous years) coupled with T&D system faults.
While the Administration is in the advance stages of hiring additional 15 MW DG capacity to overcome crisis situation, the Chief Secretary directed the Electricity Department to initiate the following remedial actions:-
• Immediately hire a technically competent maintenance agency for carrying out regular maintenance of Transmission & Distribution System including line clearance, with suitable penalty provision to ensure effective management of line clearance.
• Immediately float tenders for replacement of bare conductor with covered conductors, which will resolve most of the issues.
• Development of software to check and monitor pilferage of diesel and forming an Enforcement Team.
• Presently, relay coordination is being carried out Departmentally, which substantially reduces the line faults and consequent system failures. The Electricity Department was directed to hire external expert agency as advised by CEA to further improve relay coordination, which may bring much better results.
• The hearing of JERC before entering into Power Purchase Agreement for 15 MW DG is fixed on 16.5.2023. Addition of 15 MW is likely to resolve most of the issues.
• As a long-term solution and as redundant to avoid future crisis situation, it was also decided to add 10-15 MW Government owned power plant, a press release from Electricity Department said.

 

Future Corridor Everest Run 2023 – a Long Distance Road Run Organized by Fit Andaman Sports Association

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Port Blair, May 08 Future Corridor Everest Run 2023 – a Long Distance Road Run was Organizes by Fit Andaman Sports Association, Powered by Thirst for Quest Community, On 06th May 2023 At 0500 Am From Andaman Club. Mr. Prashish Kumar, Senior Athlete Coach flagged off the event wherein Dr. Sarabjit Kaur Jagpal, Principal Khalsa Public School was the Chief Guest in the closing ceremony. Mr. Tapash Mondal (PET) Khalsa Public School was the Guest of Honor for this event wherein Mr. K P Mammu (International athlete), Miss Bhavani (National Para Athlete), Mr. R. Vineeth (India’s only solo alpine style Mountaineers) were the event ambassadors.
This event emphasized on promoting local sportspersons of our Islands who worked hard and brought pride to our islands and the country. Also, this was to create awareness about “Gender Parity” towards the younger generation.
The event partners Khalsa Public School, My Outlook, P K Constructions, Mukta Dhara, Hotel Kings, Leader Light & Sound, Viacom, and Mr. Abhishek Pandey played an important role in making this event a huge success.
It was organized in 3 categories i.e. 10K (Open) Men’s and Women’s, U-20 8849m) Boys and Girls, U-16 5K (Boys and Girl). Almost 350 runners participated in this event. Trophies, medals and certificates were distributed to all the winners and qualifiers accordingly.

Departure of the vessel Nalanda from Chennai to Port Blair postponed due to Cyclonic Weather

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Port Blair, May 08: This is to inform the passengers/ general public that due to predicted Cyclonic Weather over Bay of Bengal the scheduled departure of the vessel Nalanda from Chennai to Port Blair via Campbell Bay and Nancowry on 10.05.2023 at 1600 Hrs have been postponed till further notice. However, a fresh date of sailing of the vessel Nalanda will be announced in due course.
Passengers can also get update/status of the vessels from the information counter at phoenix bay by using the Number 03192 245555/232714 & TOLL FREE NUMBER 18003452714 & Chennai Counter Number 044 – 25226873.
Inconvenience caused to the passengers is deeply regretted.

Group Commander Madras ‘A’ Visits NCC Units at Port Blair

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Port Blair, May 08: Colonel A Majumdar, Group Commander Madras ‘A’ visited Army and Naval NCC Units at Port Blair today. He was received by Lt Col Pankaj Modgil, Commanding Officer 1 (AN) INDEP NCC Coy NCC and Lt Cdr Ankit Pant, Commanding Officer 1 (AN) Naval Unit NCC. He inspected the Ceremonial Guard and commended their drill and turnout. He was briefed about various training activities and achievements of both Army and Naval NCC Units. Various issues meriting attention of the Group Commander were also highlighted. The Group Commander shared his insights to bring about an improvement in training and boost participation of cadets in various Social Service activities. During the visit he also interacted with ANOs, Caretakers, PI and Civil Staff of both units.