Port Blair, Feb 17: The vessel MV Swaraj Dweep will sail for Chennai via Nancowry & Campbell Bay from Haddo Wharf on February 20, 2012 at 1000 hrs. Excess baggage, medical examination and embarkation of passengers will be from 0800 hrs to 0945 hrs on February 20, 2012.
Annual Sports Function at Army Primary School
Port Blair, Feb 17: Annual Sports Function of the ‘Army Primary School’ was organized at Birchgunj Military Station on 15 Feb 12 and 16 Feb 12. A host of programmes and activities were organized during the function with the aim to instill spirit of competitiveness and sportsmanship amongst the tiny tots of the school. Mrs Kuldeep Kaur, President, Army Wives Welfare Association (AWWA), Birchgunj was the Chief Guest on the occasion.
During the various sporting events which were conducted, 187 children, teaching staff and administrative staff of the school participated with full josh and enthusiasm.
The students displayed March Past, Mass PT, Musical PT and Yoga Display apart from other sport disciplines. The event was a ‘treat to the eyes’ for all present during the occasion.
In her address during the Closing Ceremony, Mrs Kuldeep Kaur emphasized the importance of games and sports at par with the curricular activities. She complimented the staff and students of the school for putting-up an excellent show and advised the children to display active as well as willing participation in various extra curricular activities. She also gave away prizes to the meritorious students.
Students of Namunaghar block roads to demands STS bus service
Youths show power of unity once again
Staff Correspondent
Namunaghat, South Andaman, Feb 16: Frustrated and angry students of Andaman and Nicobar Islands have once displayed the power of unity and forced Administration to bend down. In an unexpected move nearly 20 to 25 students of Namughat area today blocked the Ograbranch-Shaitan Khari road, demanding STS bus service in the route.
“We have to walk for hours to reach school or request commuters for lift as there is no STS bus in our route. Most of the days we reach school very late and miss our classes,” an angry student told Andaman Sheekha correspondent today.
The STS was not operating bus in the area as according to the officials of Transport Department, the said stretch of road was unfit for the operation of STS Buses.
As the strike gained tremendous support and blocked movement of all vehicles on the road, senior officials of APWD and Transport Department had to rush to the spot. Later officials of both the department conducted a joint inspection of the road.
According to report it was found that the main problem with the said road was near a newly constructed culvert, which was constructed much below the level of the road surface. Later the strike was withdrawn after APWD officials promised to make the said stretch fit for movement of buses and Transport Department officials promised to operate bus from next Monday.
This is yet another example how the entire system has gone wrong in Andaman and Nicobar and how slowly people of A & N Islands, especially children, have understood that protest is the only way to get things done in this rotten system.
JNRM’s Techno Vaganza 2012 gets tremendous response
Submarine optical fibre cable will be available in 18 months
Port Blair, Feb 16: TechnoVaganza 2012, an inter-Collegiate IT Festival was inaugurated by the Commissioner-cum-Secretary (Higher Education), Shri B.S. Bhalla as chief guest today in the auditorium of JNRM. Speaking on the occasion, Shri Bhalla appreciated the way in which information technology was being promoted through festival like ‘techno vaganza’. He hoped that the entire student community of college and schools in these islands will soon get opportunity to avail IT facilities. He hoped that the submarine optical fibre cable will be available in about 18 months providing greater bandwidth to the users in these islands and bringing IT industries to these islands. He congratulated the staff of Computer Science Department for organizing ‘technovaganza’.
In his address, the Principal JNRM, Dr. Iqbal Ahmad highlighted the achievements of the College. He thanked the Commissioner-cum-Secretary (Higher Education) for his support and encouragement in the development of the College.
Describing the purpose of holding the TechnoVaganza, Shri Vinod NC, HOD, Department of Computer Science said that the festival was aimed at exploring the young talents in the field of Information Technology and link up the student community under one roof.
The inaugural programme concluded with vote of thanks proposed by Shri Rajeev Kumar Tiwari, Assistant Professor, Department of Computer Science.
In the second session teams from Dr.BRAIT, TGCE, ITI, IGNOU, DDE Annamalai University & JNRM participated in exciting competitions like dumb charades, digital vista, techno quiz, bug hunt, JAM, and ad-mad. The second session concluded with prize distribution by the Principal, JNRM and vote of thanks by Shri C.Parthiban, Assistant Professor, Department of Computer Science
Ebrahim Jadwet to attend the World Model United Nations Conference
Port Blair, Feb 16: Ebrahim Jadwet along with six other students representing University Canada West (UCW) is to attend the World Model United Nations Conference to be held in Vancouver, Canada, in the month of March this year. Over 2000 delegates from all over the globe will be attending the conference and speaking on some important issues such as European economic crisis, Palestinian statehood, Civil wars, etc. The delegates from UCW will be representing Guinea-Bissau, a nation in the western coast of Africa. The conference is organised by Harvard University.
Croc sighted near Corbyn’s Cove Beach again
Sarthak Kanjilal
Port Blair, Feb 16: Sighting of a crocodile triggered panic at Corbyn’s Cove area this morning. According to reports the Crocodile was first noticed at around 6.00 am and for nearly one hour the croc was swimming close to the beach. Again at around 5.00 pm the crocodile was spotted by workers working near the beach area. A large number of people including tourists gathered near the beach to spot the crocodile, as the news spread like wild fire. “This is scary. They have put just one crocodile warning signboard at the beach, which goes mostly unnoticed. This may lead to a major disaster infure,” said a tourist, who was present at the beach. This is not the first time when crocodile have been sighted at Corbyn’s Cove area. Perhaps the Administration is waiting for one more death of Islanders, before shifting the crocodile to some other place.
CPI(M) raises voice against water curtailment
Port Blair, Feb 16: The CPI (M) has also raised strong objection on imposing heavy curtailment in supply of drinking water inA & NIslands. “This will lead to harassment to general public. This kind of action on the part of the authority going on every year in summer and we have every reason to believe that shortage of drinking water summer in due to negligence of the authority who is in helm office,” Dr Gauranga Majhi, the General Secretary of CPI(M) unit of A & N Islands said in a press release today.
Dr. Majhi also demanded inquiry the Chouldari Dam Construction work, which is unable to store water due to some technical defect.A & NIslandsreceives more than 3000 mm of rainfall every year but still due to lack of proper rainwater harvesting mechanism, local administration goes for heavy curtailment in water supply every year from February to May.
GST department in Islands
Port Blair, Feb 16: It has been decided to set up a Goods & Services Tax Department in A&N Islands, an official communication said here adding that in this regard a two-day seminar is being organised which will be inaugurated by the Chief Secretary, A&N Administration in the conference hall of Secretariat on February 17, 2012 at 3.00 PM.
The seminar will be conducted by two officers from the Department of Trade & Taxes, New Delhi.
Besides department officials, the seminar is expected to be attended by local entrepreneurs, chartered accountants, A&N Chamber of Commerce, lawyers etc.
Skill enrichment programme on shell jewellery held
Port Blair, Feb 16: The Directorate of Industries, Andaman & Nicobar Administration organized training and skill enrichment programme on shell jewellery by introduction of new form of designs, fusion with silver and gold and use of advanced tools and techniques in association with Gems & Jewellery Export Promotion Council, Chennai. The target groups of the said training were the SMEs/Artisans engaged in manufacturing/ production of handicrafts including jewelries using sea shell. The training programme held in Design Center, Directorate of Industries Complex, Middle Point, Port Blair from 8th February, 2012 to 16th February, 2012. The training programme was attended by more than twenty artisans and during the course of training they have produced more than twenty five new designs in sea shell jewellery and learned the advanced tools and techniques for making new forms and designs.
Shri M.N. Murali, Joint Secretary & Director of Industries speaking on the concluding function of the training programme today, the 16th February, 2012, encouraged the local artisans to come forward and take up these new deigns to the local as well as to the mainland market for fetching better value to their product and assured all possible assistance from the Department. Shri Ruban Hobday, Director, Gems and Jewellery Export Promotion Council, Southern Region, speaking on the occasion assured all possible support from Gems & Jewellery Export Promotion Council for marketing of the same. Shri Prayag Vyas, expert and visiting faculty from Gems and Jewellery.
Export Promotion Council expressed that the skill of the artisans is no less than as compared to the artisans of the mainland and they have the potential to produce the new designs they have learned during the training.
Hindi workshop held
Port Blair, Feb 16: Hindi workshop was organised at the Information & Publicity Division of the Directorate of IP&T on 16.02.2012 to encourage officials and staff on the use of official language in office work. Participating in the inaugural session of the workshop, the Information Officer, Shri V.K. Misra emphasised on the use of simple Hindi in official work. The workshop was conducted by Hindi Translator, Department of Environment & Forests, Shri Mohandas and was moderated by Hindi Translator, IP Division, Shri A. Jai Nair.