Sri Vijaya Puram, Feb 4: Hon’ble Member of Parliament, Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Shri Bishnu Pada Ray, has appealed to the Hon’ble Prime Minister of India, Shri Narendra Modi Ji, for enhancement of MPLAD funds with a special additional ceiling for the Andaman & Nicobar Islands, keeping in view the unique geographical and developmental challenges of the Islands.
In his letter the Hon’ble MP highlighted that the Andaman & Nicobar Islands are located more than 1,200 kilometres away from the Indian mainland and consist of geographically scattered and remote islands. Unlike mainland regions, almost all construction materials such as cement, steel, sand, stones, bitumen, machinery, and even skilled and unskilled labour have to be transported from the mainland by sea, resulting in heavy shipping, handling and storage costs. Consequently, the cost of construction works in the Islands is significantly higher than that of the mainland.
The MP pointed out that as per DSR-2021, the cost of civil and infrastructure works in the Andaman & Nicobar Islands is about 50 to 70 percent higher compared to similar works on the mainland, where materials are readily available and transportation costs are minimal. In the Islands, every component has to be shipped over long distances, making even small infrastructure projects financially intensive.
Shri Bishnu Pada Ray further stated that due to the high cost structure, the genuine developmental aspirations of the islanders such as conversion of katcha roads into pucca roads, construction of culverts, drains and retaining walls to prevent erosion and landslides, creation of community halls, sports facilities and public amenities, and development of educational and social infrastructure including new VKV schools in remote islands cannot be adequately met within the existing MPLAD ceiling of ₹5 crore per annum. He emphasized that the Parliamentary Constituency of Andaman & Nicobar Islands comprises three districts spread over a vast geographical area of 8,249 square kilometres, which further adds to the challenge.
The MP also recalled that the MPLAD Scheme, introduced in 1993, was initially ₹5 lakh per annum and was gradually enhanced to ₹1 crore in 1994–95, ₹2 crore in 1998–99 and ₹5 crore in 2011–12. However, no revision has been made in the last more than 14 years, despite steep escalation in material, labour and transportation costs across the country, and far more acutely in the Andaman & Nicobar Islands.
He further noted that the overall capital funds available for developmental works in the Islands are limited, resulting in a large number of pending works due to shortage of financial resources.
In view of these realities, Shri Bishnu Pada Ray, Hon’ble MP has urged the Government of India to review and enhance the existing MPLAD fund ceiling and to provide an additional enhanced MPLAD allocation to the Andaman & Nicobar Islands as a special case, over and above the uniform allocation applicable to other constituencies.
The MP expressed hope that the Government would consider this long-pending and genuine demand sympathetically in the larger interest of balanced, inclusive and sustainable development of the strategically important Andaman & Nicobar Islands.