Port Blair, Dec. 19: The ANTCC Campaign Committee Chairman Shri. TSG Bhasker has brought the attention of the Chief Secretary, A&N Administration regarding the issues being faced by the tribal people of Car Nicobar Island through a letter submitted on Tuesday.
In the first point of his letter, Mr. Bhasker said that the tender for construction of sea wall near the Mus Jetty was floated long ago but the work has not been completed till now. The problem of soil erosion is also increasing day after day. It has come to notice that the draft around the Jetty has reduced significantly. Further, he said that the vessels which are coming to the Mus Jetty are unable to berth and un-birth because of the low draft.
Second point of the letter stated that the passenger facilities in the Mus Jetty such as passenger shed, sitting facility, toilet etc. is in a very deplorable condition and needs to be improved immediately.
The third point of the letter described the bad condition of the roads in Car Nicobar. It was informed that the damage to roads has been caused because of the usage of heavy vehicles with huge loads going in the defense area. Bhasker suggested that an alternative land needs to be allotted somewhere close to the defense area so that a temporary Jetty can be built and contractors can unload their cargo from there. He said that the pantoons which are unloading at the Jetty are also causing hardship for the maneuvering of the passenger ships.
In the fourth point of the letter, he highlighted that there is an acute shortage of GTT teachers for subjects like Maths, Science, Social Science, English and Hindi in the Car Nicobar Island which is causing immense hardship to the students and also teachers who are posted there. He urged the Chief Secretary to devise ways and means to encourage the tribal population to come to school.
Further he exhorted that after the Tsunami in 2004, the government initiated a rehabilitation process and built many permanent shelters for the residents of Car Nicobar. During this period, septic tanks were built for disposal of solid wastes. He expressed sadness that these septic tanks have not been cleaned for several years due to which the septic tanks are overflowing, especially during the rainy season when the rain water enters the septic tanks. He said that this overflow of human waste can cause serious health issues among our tribal population.
He also mentioned that the medical facilities in the District Hospital of Car Nicobar needs to be improved. The hospital is facing a shortage of nurses and ward boys. Also, the X-ray machine and Ultrasound machine do not have an operator.
Through the last point of his letter, Bhasker thanked the Chief Secretary for fast tracking the recruitment process in many departments of A&N Islands. He stated that however, due to the high cut off marks laid for passing the test, many posts are not being filled including the posts in the Police Force. Hence, he requested the Chief Secretary to kindly lower down the cut off marks so that many of the tribal childrens can get employment.