Passengers to Pay for the Travel/ Ship Ticket as Per Promulgated Rates
Port Blair, May 14: In the last few days, the Directorate of Shipping services carried out registration of stranded personnel who wish to be transported To and From A&N Islands. As of today, a total of 3846 personnel have registered to be transported out of Andaman Islands and 3125 no of personnel have registered to be transported from Mainland to A&N Islands.
Whilst sailing schedules from Andaman to Chennai and vice versa were tentatively planned on 06.05.2020, the A&N Administration had also taken up the matter seeking approval of competent authority for transportation of stranded personnel by Air. However, as approval of the competent authority for Air Travel is still awaited, the DSS has therefore now also proposed to transport passengers by ship.
In the meantime the Government of Tamil Nadu has intimated that due resurgence of COVID-19 cases at Chennai, and their quarantine facilities not being ready, they are not in a position to accept any incoming passengers at Chennai for the time being, till the quarantine facilities are in place.
Following these constraints, the sailing to and from Chennai cannot be planned immediately until the consent of the Tamil Nadu Government is received. Therefore in the initial phase the sailing to and from Kolkata sector will be planned.
Due to the ongoing restrictions and requirements to comply with the norms of social distancing, the ships of the Directorate will be able to carry only 50% of its capacity i.e. 600 passengers each. Further, the protocol as suggested by MHA will be strictly followed for screening and transportation of stranded personnel. All incoming passengers would be required to undergo mandatory quarantine as per protocol. All stranded personnel will be required to pay for the travel/ship ticket as per promulgated rates.
The firm dates of the sailing will be announced at least three Days in advance and priority shall be accorded to the patients, students and other personnel in distress, registered with the Directorate. All sailings will be subject to weather conditions en-route.
As and when Chennai and Vizag sectors are ready to commence operations from their respective ports, sailing shall also be schedules to these ports depending on the list of registered personnel and availability of ships.
With regard to the Inter Island movement of stranded personnel, it is intimated that as of 14th May 2020, a total 2211 passenger have already been transported between various islands and regular sailing are being planned by the DSS, depending on the request received from various District Administrations.