Rabindranath Biswas
Diglipur, Aug 11: A couple of weeks ago a massive landslide brought down a torrent of mud and debris near Badur Tikrey destroying the uphill road that connects Radhanagar Gram Panchayat’s villages with Diglipur Bazaar.
As per report, the steep gradient of the cut slope, presence of highly weathered rock, thick debris, saturation due to rainfall and lack of toe support (the distance between the edge of the highway and the beginning of the slope, a key factor while designing stable slopes along road), disturbance of drainage flows are the primary causative factors of the debris flow.
Intense rainfall acted as the trigger for the landslide thereby severely damaging the steep road, as explained by the Engineers of the APWD, Diglipur. The high relief and overburden material in the hill slope suggest that retrogression of the slide is probable during prolonged rainfall, they further informed.
However, the Engineers of the concerned Division took immediate initiatives and swung into action thereby clearing the debris with excavator by cutting the earth in 4.5 mtr deep on war footing. Then as a stopgap measure, boulder pitching with a temporary retaining wall was done to arrest the further slide and damage of the road, they further said.
Meanwhile, the residents in the areas voiced their concern about the retrogression of the slide and further aggravation of the road in question. Talking to Andaman Sheekha Daily they said that the intensified rain is yet to happen, and if the road further worsens, it will render a complete disruption of traffic on this route thereby putting the residents of these areas in facing severe commuting woes.
However, the Engineers of the concerned Division said that they have planned for a permanent solution to arrest the slide and further damage of the road thereby erecting a gabion wall along the road, and they have reportedly submitted the necessary estimate to the Office of the Superintending Engineer, Port Blair for approval, they informed.

Rabindranath Biswas
Diglipur, Aug 06: The residents of Shibpur, Kalipur, Lamiya Bay and Durgapur of Diglipur Subdivision expressed their grievances in regard to health service and sought for opening up of a Primary Health Centre at Shibpur.
According to information, there are several reasons why the locals of Shibpur, Kalipur, Lamiya Bay and Durgapur want that the Administration take initiative to open up of a Primary Health Centre (PHC) reportedly preferably at Shibpur. They said that these villages are remote and far away from the sole Community Health Centre, Diglipur and in a medical emergency, they have to face a terrible ordeal, they rued. The core purpose of a Primary Health Centre is to provide accessible, comprehensive, and continuous care for common medical needs. It focuses on preventive care, health education, early diagnosis, and basic treatment while, on the other hand, to its contrary, there is merely a Sub-Centre at Shibpur which doesn’t meet the medical requirement in emergency for a population of these four villages, they lamented. In the event of non-availability of proper transportation means at night, the patient requiring immediate medical care has to face the wrath of this distressing and vexatious situation, they fumed. There are instances that patients from these outlying areas reportedly had to either compromise with health problems or to bite the dust, they said. Now they feel that the Administration should come forward with ingenuity and rescue these residents living off the beaten track from the quagmire of medical negligence thereby upgrading the existing Sub-Centre to a Primary Health Centre (PHC) reportedly preferably at centrally located Shibpur on a priority basis. Another Sub-Centre may also be opened in addition at a proper location in any of the four villages and which will prove to be a boon to them, they further urged.

Rabindranath Biswas
Diglipur, July 31: Diglipur Merchant Association, has raised the issue of insufficient number of fire hydrants in Diglipur Bazaar area.
Talking to Andaman Sheekha Daily, the President of Diglipur Merchant Association, Mr. Amarendra Nath Halder said that the non-availability of fire hydrants in Bazaar area is proving to be a major factor in evading the losses inflicted by the incidents of fire, especially during dry season. At present there is merely one fire hydrant installed in Diglipur Bazaar and which is extremely insufficient for a big commercial area like Diglipur Bazaar, as the Diglipur Bazaar has significantly expanded in terms of its area over the last few years. Besides, there are residential houses, congested structures located in the inner part and on the periphery of Diglipur Bazaar. As such, the installation of sufficient number of fire hydrants at the desired locations in Diglipur Bazaar area is extremely essential, Mr. Halder emphasized.
The President, Diglipur Merchant Association further said that he had already approached the Assistant Commissioner with a representation and apprised him of the necessity of the installation of fire hydrants at the desired locations in Diglipur Bazaar area. The Assistant Commissioner heard the grievance submitted by Mr. Halder and then he reportedly forwarded the letter to the concerned higher Officials of the Fire Service for further course of action, Mr. Halder said. However, no fire hydrant has been installed in Diglipur Bazaar as yet, the DMA President further said. “I have seen no positive response from the concerned Department to facilitate its installation so far” alleged Mr. Halder.
The President, Diglipur Merchant Association further said that during a fire incident, once a fire tender is exhausted of water, it takes a lot of time to approach a water source and till that time, damage caused by the fire is massive. Hence, he has urged the Administration for early installation of the fire hydrants at the desired locations in Diglipur Bazaar area on a priority basis.
“Recently, we saw a massive blaze at Electricity Barracks behind STS Garage, Sitanagar a couple of days ago. The fire left 7 houses completely gutted. Had a fire hydrant been available in the near vicinity, the loss could have been minimized,” opined the general public of Diglipur Bazaar.

 

Rabindranath Biswas
Diglipur, July 29: The menace of stray cattle in Diglipur is not showing any signs of ebbing away. According to information, a couple of days ago a herd of feral cows and bulls came out of nowhere during day time and reportedly invaded a paddy field and ravaged the paddy plants recently sowed.
Talking to Andaman Sheekha Daily, Diglipur Farmers’ Union, President, Mr. Kamal Halder said that stray cattle have become a real headache for every peasant/farmer who are now waging a war against these abandoned cattle in one hand, and they are not seeing any concrete initiative from the administration to be aimed at beating the menace of this stray cattle, on the other hand. At this juncture, the entire farmer community are in grave peril owing to these stray cattle, he lamented.
However, amidst all this tidings, a good news in connection to this cattle menace which came to surface was that the Veterinary Hospital, Diglipur has recently undertaken the task of tagging the cattle for every village in Diglipur. The initiative was reportedly taken on the request of Diglipur Farmers’ Union, President, Mr. Kamal Halder said. The tagging of cattle would at least help identify/differentiate the cattle if they are domestic or feral, Mr Halder further added. However, tagging of cattle isn’t the only solution nor is it going to end the menace of stray cattle, he argued.

Rabindranath Biswas
Diglipur, July 29: The pavements in Diglipur Bazaar area are in dilapidated condition for the last many years with trip hazards.
As per report, almost all the sidewalks particularly starting from Fish Market to Govt. SSS, Subhashgram Diglipur is in rundown condition for years together and which is causing severe inconveniences to the pedestrians especially for the elderly and children. People, especially aged ones and the school going small children are often found to get tripped on the broken tiles as they came off the sidewalk rendering an uneven surface on it. Obviously, when one stumbles, they get hurt, lose balance, and get into an embarrassing situation. They then openly curse the Dept./Agency for their indifference on the maintenance of this pavement. “It is the responsibility of the concerned Dept./Agency for making sure pavements are free from trip hazards and other defects as much as reasonably practical for public safety reasons. But, the rundown condition of the sidewalk starting from Fish Market to Govt. SSS, Subhashgram Diglipur speaks volumes of apathy/indifference of the concerned Dept./Agency,” said a senior citizen on anonymity.

When asked to comment on the issue, APWD Officials said that this pavement attached to NH is no more within their purview and the construction and maintenance of the NH and sidewalks are now within the ambit of the NHIDCL and this agency is solely responsible to carry out all sorts of works of the NH. The pedestrians and the general public of Diglipur, on the other hand, want the Administration to look into the matter and impress upon the concerned agency to mend the pavement for the safety of people.