Diglipur, Jan 20: CPI (M) Diglipur Area Committee has organized a Mass Dharna in front of the office of the Assistant Commissioner, Diglipur in North Andaman today with various local demands. A large number of party workers from different parts of Diglipur Tehsil participated in the Dharna. 

Inaugurating the Mass Dharna, Shri D. Ayyappan, Secretary, CPI (M) A&N State Organising Committee, who was on a tour to North Andaman said that the BJP Government at the Centre has been continuously neglecting the burning issues of the islanders.  He said that various local demands of the people of North Andaman are being highlighted and taken up with the authorities in the Administration by the CPI (M) during the last one year but no action seems to have been taken to resolve the issues.

The re-laying work of National Highway 4 (formerly Andaman Trunk Road) was entrusted to the NHIDCL about 7 years back but despite spending thousands of crores of rupees the work is yet to be completed because of which the people are facing difficulties to use the road especially during rainy days. 

Shri Ayyappan said that there was massive corruption in the said work and blamed the Congress (I) and BJP for not highlighting this issue sincerely and thereby supporting the corruption in this issue.

Shri Ramjiban Sarkar, State Secretariat Member, Shri AVA Samad, Secretary, CPI (M) Diglipur Area Committee and Shri Sunil Bepari and Dilip Karmakar, State Organising Committee Members also addressed the meeting.  Besides the NH4 work, the issues highlighted during the Mass Dharna were (1) repair and completion of rural roads in North Andaman, providing piped water to all villages, supply of fertilizers and seeds to farmers, against price rise, upgradation of Diglipur CHC into Sub-District Hospital, increase in ferry services between Port Blair and Diglipur, construction of bridge connecting Kalighat and Nischinthpur, etc.