Trade Bandh Paralyses Port Blair City and Adjoining Areas
Port Blair, April 12: The ‘Trade Bandh’ called by the Andaman Chamber of Commerce & Industry today, received a tremendous response from the traders in Andaman Islands, including the private public transport operators, thus paralysing the capital city Port Blair and adjoining areas.
The Trade Bandh was a token of protest against the hampered development in all sectors of A&N Islands. The Bandh started at 6.00 am and concluded at 6.00 pm and was a peaceful one with no untoward incidents reported. Support was received from all corners of the traders including vegetable and fish vendors to bigger businesses. Though government offices and schools remained open, it remained low in attendance with the private public transport operators supporting the call.
Commenting on the bandh, Surendra Prahladka, President of ACCI said, “Andaman & Nicobar Islands hold immense economic potential and the government of India, under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has identified various large projects to propel its development. However, there are critical local issues such as power, port, and policies on conversion, land revenue, circle rates, building bylaws, master plan, and new vehicle permits that have not been addressed by the administration led by the Hon’ble Lieutenant Governor, Admiral D K Joshi, for a long time. This lack of action is causing a major roadblock in the overall socio-economic development of the islands as envisioned by the Government of India. The bandh has been called to draw attention to these issues and urge the administration to take necessary action”.
President Prahaladka emphasized, "The highlighted issues are a major obstacle to the establishment of new infrastructure in the private sector, which is necessary to cater to the growing demands of trade and industry, particularly tourism. As a major stakeholder, the Chamber of Commerce urges the administration to not only listen to our concerns but also give due weightage to the genuine issues that are hindering the economic growth of the islands."