Sir,

It is heartening to know from your news item dated 25/01/2011, that Survival International’s team has come all the way to our place to warn us that Jarawa tribe is in danger. It is pertinent to mention the originally ten tribe : Aka-Bea, Aka-Bale, Aka-Pucikwar, Aka-Kol, Aka-Kede, Oko-Juwoi, Aka-Jeru, Aka-Bo, Aka-Kora, Aka-Cari, out of which nine tribes are considered extinct except Aka-Jeru (New-Aka-Jeru, Andamanese), had Survival International issued such warning before, the tribes could have survived. Anyway I could have met them personally and thanked them for their concern, but address was not available in the news item, hence thanking them through the columns of Andaman Chronicle.

 

But one thing I could not understand from the news item “Survival is urging the Indian government to close the road and to keep outsiders out of the tribe’s forest”, Who is outsider here?

 

Debkumar Bhadra
Shore Point, Bambooflat, S Andaman-744107

 

Sir,
 
This is to bring to the notice that there are two Tourist charter flights operating every sundays: one between Mumbai-PortBlair-Mumbai (operated by yatra.com) and Bangalore-PortBlair-Bangalore (operated by makemytrip.com) . These two companies have given many of its agents , the right to sell few seats for general public of our islands.

 

But it has been found that some agents and non-agents are selling the tickets of these charter flights in fare of 9900 to 11000 whereas the actual one-way fare for Mumbai-PortBlair-Mumbai is Rs.7500-8000(excluding service fee of Rs.500 max) and for Bangalore-PortBlair-Bangalore is Rs.6900-9000.

 

This was noticed when a very good Indian citizen of this island, who works as a normal sales/ticketing agent of these two companies, sold 1 ticket in the fare of Rs.7500+350(service fee) for PortBlair-Mumbai in Go-Air Charter , while other agents sold @ Rs.9000 to 11000 for the same flight. Point to be noted here that Rs.7500 was the actual fare for 12-Dec-2010 flight.

 

So, the point here is that general public are being cheated and they must be cautioned.

 

Sir,

Apropos your news item “Bhopinder Singh dedicates countries First seaplane to the Islands” dated 31/12/2010. In this context, it is submitted that that the present Sea Plane cannot be called first in any count.
As far as A&N Administration is concerned the first seaplane service was launched sometime during 1995. Unfortunately the Seaplane during its return journey from Little Andaman plunged in the sea near Dundaspoint-Kumrakheti area while landing on 06/09/1995. The misadventure cost life of one of its occupants a Senior Officer of SAI. The recovered and re-constructed Seaplane (Cessna Caravan) now stands displayed in the Science Centre at Goodwill Estate at Port Blair (see attached photo).
Further Seaplane service was in operation in A&N Islands prior to independence also. Hence the present Seaplane is in fact third for Andamans, can be called Second after Independence , but in no count be called First.

DEBKUMAR BHADRA
Shore Point, Bambooflat, S Andaman-744107

It is evident that the Administration in the name of implementation of Buffer Zone Notification is violating Human Rights. The Administration has issued order on 8/12/2010 and closed down shops w.e.f. 09/12/2010, i.e. on less than One day notice leaving no scope for the peoples to seek remedy in the court of law.

 

Property is a Fundamental Right under the original Constitution. Mrs. Indira Gandhi, for a very valid reason, got the 26th amendment passed on the 31st July, 1971. The amended constitution says that nobody shall be deprived of his property except through a due process of law, but the officials from Administration pasted closure notice on the shops which were closed for lunch.

 

The peoples of N&M Andaman culminated at Kadamtala on 12/12/2010, to protest the atrocities meted out to them in the name of buffer zone by Administration. There were around 1000 peoples who participated in the rally and a meeting was organised to condemn the draconian move by Administration to forcibly implement buffer zone notification, in violation of the legitimate right to life of the Islanders.