Sheekha Bureau
Port Blair, May 26: The Tourism Department is planning to transform Andaman and Nicobar Islands into Adventure Water Sports Capital of India by expanding existing infrastructures and introducing new Water Sports Activities for tourists.
Presently Andaman is well known worldwide for deep sea diving, shallow water diving, snorkeling and other water sports activities but now the Andaman Tourism in planning to introduce submersible water scooters and sail boats to attract more tourists.
“For coming years we are getting proposals, at presently we are working on submersible scooters. We are expecting new guidelines to come soon. We are also getting proposal for sail boats and we are examining it,” Amit Anand the Director of Andaman’s Tourism Department told Nation Live today.
The tourism department is also planning to introduce technology in a big way for effective monitoring of all these activities to ensure safety of tourists and safety is something which Tourism Department is taking too seriously.
Besides this training of staffs and everyone else directly or indirectly related to tourism industry is another major priority of Andaman Tourism Department so that Tourists visiting Port Blair witness a professional approach everywhere.
“Our aim is to have more activities but well regulated. Safety of tourists, safety of ecology, sustainable and most importantly, ease of doing business is our priority. We are looking holistically at development of water sports. We are also trying to spread water sports beyond South Andaman and taking Water Sports to North and Middle Andaman too,” said the Director of Tourism.
As Andaman Tourism is totally beach centric such approach of Andaman’s Tourism Department will definitely be a game changer.

Sarthak Kanjilal
Port Blair, May 25: The decade long struggle of 389 ATI workers has finally ended as they are going to receive the cheque for all arrears and pending dues on 1st June, 2017 at Bambooflat.
Addressing a press conference at MP Office this evening at 04:00pm, the Member of Parliament, Mr Bishnu Pada Ray today said that this was the effort of the Lt Governor and the Administration and the Labor Commissioners Department that the long pending demands of the ATI workers have been fulfilled.
Further the MP highlighted the issue of the alleged black marketing of tickets in the STARS Ticketing Counter Port Blair following which he has also lodged a complaint, regarding this matter to the SHO Aberdeen and the Director of Shipping Services and requested strict action against black marketers.
Further the MP also said that against the non issuance of Sugar under PDS he has requested the administration to issue it as it was done earlier to the residents of the islands but even though he said that it is the subsidy for the poor people and whatever is the decision of the administration will be welcomed.
However he said that 4048 people who come under AY category will be getting the sugar under subsidy.
Later the MP appreciated the steps taken by the Lt Governor in power crisis issues and assured that situation will normalize soon.

Sarthak Kanjilal
Port Blair, May 24: The Port Management Board, Andaman & Nicobar Islands has notified a Port Meadow in these islands last year near Havelock and the PMB is presently moving ahead to start the functioning of Port Meadow in the Islands. PMB strongly believes that after the functioning of the Port Meadow, these islands are going to earn huge revenue from the initiative.
As per reports, the Port Meadow has being identified in the deeper sea to the left side of the Havelock Island which is around 4.5 kilometre in radius and around 50 meters in depth and has a sheltered basin and no island is involved in it.
Talking to Andaman Sheekha, the Chief Port Administrator, Dr R D Tripathi said that the area was identified in the year 2016 and it’s so deep that the world’s biggest cape sized vessel can come here and stand.
The CPA said that the proposal here is to bring Cape Sized Vessel in the Port Meadow near Havelock from where the materials can be loaded in small sized vessels through which they can be transported to mainland India or other countries.
“Presently the talks are on with different agencies and many are interested to use the space, the department will also publicize it in the Media so that the interested agencies may get to know about the space in Andaman for which they can approach us for transhipment of their materials,” Dr Tripathi said.
Dr Tripathi finally said that such a bigger space for shipment and in such a sheltered area is nowhere in the entire world. Dr Tripathi also gave a positive indication that many agencies are going to approach PMB for the space for shipment.

Sheekha Bureau
Port Blair, May 23: The employees of Power House of Suryachakra Power Corporation Limited (SPCL), Andaman and Nicobar Islands today staged a major protest against the management for not paying them salary for more than one month by shutting down two operational engines this morning.
According to details the protest began at 8.00 am this morning during which nearly all 52 staffs attached to the power house shut down the DG Sets and sat infront of the Gate demanding immediate release of salary.
Earlier the protest was scheduled on 12 May 2017 but after getting assurance from Secretary Power that the management will release salary to all employees by 22 May the protest was postponed.
However as out of 70 days pending salary when the management paid only partial salary for 30 days the employees sat on protest this morning.
The Suryachakra Power Corporation Limited (SPCL) is supplying power to Andaman and Nicobar Administration as Independent Power Producers and has a contract till 2018 April.
Meanwhile for not producing required power the Administration has imposed a penalty of the SPCP of nearly Rs. 2.1 crore and to make sure that the amount is paid before April 2018, the Administration is presently deducting entire monthly payment of SPCL which is around 30 lakhs.
“As company is not receiving any payment from Administration since March, we were unable to pay any amount to the employees. We had asked the Administration to release some amount so that atleast we could pay the salary of employees,” said Mr. Biji George, the Manager of SPCL in Andaman.
Today the protest began at around 8.00 am and by 9.00 am the Deputy Commissioner of South Andaman, Mr. Udit Rai Prakash reached the spot and had a meeting with workers and management.
During the meeting the Deputy Commissioner assured that the Administration will release salary amount of employees that too directly to the employees, so that functioning of SPCL power house is not affected.
It was also assured that in coming months also the Administration will release salary amount to all the employees directly, after which the protest was called off at 10.00 am.
Presently major power for Andaman’s South Andaman region is produced by Independent Power Producers. Suryachakra Power Corporation which has 20 MW power DG Sets is presently yielding hardly 10 MW power because of engine failures, causing present power crisis.
As per electricity department, presently, the Govt. of India as well as the Administration of the UT of A&N Islands have decided to phase out DG Sets completely, hence no new proposal is there to add more DG sets in these Islands.
However, for long term solution, the Administration is in a process of establishing a Gas based Power Plant of 50 MW which will be set up at Hope Town. Apart from this, there is also a proposal for establishing 15 MW Power Plant having a Dual Fuel Engine generator at Phoenix Bay Power House Complex under Grant-in Aid by Japan International Cooperation Agency. Both these power plants will however be established during next 3-4 years.
Meanwhile, to cope up with the growing power demand and to meet the present power demand, the Electricity Department has proposed for Short term Procurement of Power through hiring of DG Sets of the order of 10 MW and 05 MW during the current Financial Year till any big Power plant is established.

Staff Correspondent
Port Blair, May 19, 2017: ‘Hindi Medium’ , the film released today all over India alongwith this far- flung islands of Andaman & Nicobar has Swati Das in the main supporting woman character. The film is directed by Saket Chaudhary with Irfan Khan, Saba Qamar, Deepak Dobriyal and Swati.
Swati is grand-daughter of late BB Das and late P. Das who were brought to these islands in March 1949 for settlement by Govt. of India. Her Father was born at the desolated hills of Signal Pahad of Ports Mouth village in South Andaman in 1954. Having his early education in Boys’ School, Middle Point, Port Blair, Professor (Dr.) Biswaroop Das got through his Higher Secondary from Car Nicobar before proceeding for his higher education in Delhi. He finally retired from the coveted position of the Director of Centre for Social Studies, Gujarat.
The elite daughter of identical father after doing her PG in Sociology felt penchant towards acting and took up theatre as her profession after obtaining required training in Delhi. Since then she is engaged in theatre, films and TV serials from 2012. ‘Hindi Medium’ is her second film, earlier being Bombay Talkies. (2013). ‘Beyond the Clouds’ being directed by Majid Majidi is her next film in pipeline.
Speaking about ‘Hindi Medium’ she told that it was a satire presenting the parental suffering during admission process of their children especially in elite English Medium schools. Irfan and Saba being rich go to stay in slums to fetch a quota seat under BPL category in an elite school in Delhi.
She told, “The experience of shooting with actors like Irfan, Deepak and Saba was enriching and is a master class in itself for me’.
Swati has visited Port Blair on many occasions in connection with family get-together and performing other rituals.

Sheekha Bureau
Port Blair, May 18: A major Army operation has been seen recently at Teressa Island of Nicobar District. According to reports the operation was carried out on Saturday 13, May 2017 but details of this operation was not shared with local media. However, according to source in Teressa two groups of armed soldiers were dropped from aircraft on Teressa Islands who later left the Islands in an Chopper.
Such activities of Army are very rare in Nicobar District and hence such operation created quite a ripple in the remote Island. Sources told Andaman Sheekha that the entire operation was carried out by some other unit based in Mainland India, however the entire episode was in full knowledge of ANC.
Considering the threat from China, such operations are a signal that Indian forces are ready to deal with any kind of threat in any remote Islands of Andaman and Nicobar Chain. According to sources, the operation was not only a surprise for people of Teressa but also a good moral boost.

John Wilbert & Sarthak Kanjilal
Port Blair, May 17: Dozens of residents of Little Andaman today gathered infront of the office of Directorate of Shipping Services and alleged that because of large scale black-marketing of tickets, general public are not getting tickets for Little Andaman.
Expressing their anger on unavailability of Tickets for Little Andaman at STARS Ticketing counter, the residents allege that even if they come early morning and stand in queue for tickets they don’t get tickets but shady people who sell tickets in black always have tickets to sell in black.
“We were informed that on 17 May tickets for Little Andaman will be issued but when we reached today we were informed that all tickets were issued on 16th May and till May 18 there are no other ships. Poor people of Little Andaman have no money to stay in lodges, will the DSS compensate to our loss,” questioned an old resident of Little Andaman.
“They have VIP quota tickets, reserve quota tickets and also tickets for black-marketing but only for general public they don’t have tickets even if there is a bigger ship for Hut Bay,” alleged another passengers.
This is not the first time when residents of Little Andaman are expressing their anger against non availability of tickets, sadly there is no one to solve problem permanently.
Later a group of residents of Little Andaman reportedly met the Director of Shipping Services and shared their problem after which it was assured that for 130 passengers MV North Passage will sail tomorrow morning from Port Blair for Hut Bay.