Orders Appointment of Medical Expert to be Part of Monitoring Committee
Port Blair, April 30: The Hon’ble High Court of Calcutta, Circuit Bench at Port Blair on 28th April 2020 asked the UT Administration of A&N Islands to come up with an appropriate response within a fortnight on the status of the Undersea Cable (CANI).
The Court has also directed the Monitoring Committee appointed by the Hon’ble Court to appointment a Medical Expert as an advisor to the Committee.
Based on the Write Petition 5324(W) of 2020 filed by Advocate D.C. Kabir, the Court had appointed a Monitoring Committee to apprise the Court of the situation of pandemic in the Andaman & Nicobar Islands.
The Hon’ble Court in its Order said, “Heard learned Additional Solicitor General, Mr. Nadkarni and the petitioner appearing in person as well as Advocate G. Indira on behalf of the UT Admn., Andaman & Nicobar.
We see that one thing that the petitioner has sounded in the status report dated 28th April, 2020 submitted by him is to provide undersea cable link for ensuring better connectivity and communication to the islanders. He has also pointed that in the fitness of things it would be proper that the High Court Monitoring Committee appointed by this Court should also include an independent medical expert who can advise the Monitoring Committee on medical matters. It is suggested that High Court Monitoring Committee includes a person who has expertise in the management of contagious diseases.
As regards provision of undersea cable link, we are sure that the Government of India and the UT Admn., Andaman & Nicobar with the guidance of the learned Additional Solicitor General would be able to come back to us with appropriate response within a fortnight from now.
As regards the suggestion to have a medical expert included in the High Court Monitoring Committee, in modification of the earlier orders it is hereby directed that the Monitoring Committee appointed by this Court headed by the District Judge, Andaman & Nicobar Islands at Port Blair will be at liberty to include an independent medical expert as an advisor, upon being satisfied that the inclusion will be in the better interest of the functioning of the Monitoring Committee. Let the personnel of the said medical expert be decided with the concurrence of the Addl. Solicitor General on behalf of the Union of India and the UT Admn., Andaman & Nicobar and inputs from the petitioner”.
While efforts are being made to operationalize the Chennai Andaman & Nicobar Islands undersea cable, the people of Andaman & Nicobar Islands have been expressing concerns over the new rates being fixed by the BSNL, A&N Islands for the islanders. The rates fixed by the BSNL for the islands are exorbitant and much higher when compared to any other states in India.
Islanders are already deprived of many facilities being a remote area totally cut off from the mainland India. BSNL has already been charging higher rates as on date on the existing internet facilities. CANI was one hope for the islanders to be treated at part with other states in India, but the new internet rates announced by the BSNL, has left the islanders low and more deprived as citizens of India.