Port Blair, July 24: The Member of Parliament, Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Shri. Kuldeep Rai Sharma has requested the Chief Secretary A&N Administration to resume service of this connecting ferry between Kadamtala and Long Island so that people of Kadamtala can travel to Shaheed Dweep and Swaraj Dweep and vice versa.

In a letter addressed to the Chief Secretary, the Member of Parliament said that before Covid-19 pandemic, it was a common practice to operate a Connecting Ferry between Long Island and Kadamtala twice a week, so that passengers of Shaheed Dweep and Swaraj Dweep could reach Kadamtala from Long Island and vice versa. The Connecting Ferry used to be scheduled according to the Schedule of ‘Line Boat’ which operates between Port Blair, Shaheed Dweep, Swaraj Dweep, Rangat, Long Island and Strait Island.

He said that since COVID-19 pandemic, this service of connecting-ferry has been withdrawn, leaving the people of Kadamtala in deep trouble. Now people of Kadamtala have to travel all the way to Rangat to avail the sailing of ‘Line Boat’, which earlier they used to avail from Long Island with the help of Connecting Ferry. This Connecting Ferry used to save their time and money.

He pointed out that due to marriages and migration, thousands of people living in Shaheed Dweep, Swaraj Dweep and Kadamtala region have family members as well as close relatives scattered in these Islands. For these reasons, they have to frequently travel between Shaheed Dweep, Swaraj Dweep and Kadamtala region but due to absence of ‘Connecting Ferry’ their movement is now largely restricted and also has become too expensive.