Port Blair, March 16: The Member of Parliament, Shri. Kuldeep Rai Sharma has requested the Chief Secretary, A&N Administration to resume the shipping schedule for Hut Bay, as before the COVID-19 pandemic.

In a letter addressed to the Chief Secretary, the Member of Parliament mentioned that villagers of Little Andaman are demanding atleast two sailing of ships for Hut Bay every week so that people can easily visit Port Blair and return back to Little Andaman on as and when required basis.

He pointed out that Little Andaman is a cut-off Island and the Island is inhabited by a large number of people, who have to visit Port Blair for various urgent purposes like treatment, higher education, mainland visit, revenue works, business etc.

The Member of Parliament mentioned that since March 2020 there was a strict restriction on the movement of vessels and hence hardly one vessel used to reach Hut Bay in a month during lockdowns and restriction periods. But now when the COVID-19 cases are minimum in Andaman and Nicobar Islands and the third wave is already over there is an urgent need to restore the shipping schedule as it was before the COVID-19 pandemic.