Port Blair, Oct. 8: Shri. Bishnu Pada Ray, Member of Parliament met Lt. General (Retd) Bhopinder Singh, Lt. Governor of Andaman & Nicobar Islands today at Raj Niwas and raised some vital issues and requested the intervention of the Lt. Governor.

The Member of Parliament took up the issue of Sluice Gates and requested the Lt. Governor for a joint inspection to see the ground realities. Shri Ray also raised the Buffer Zone issue for protecting the interests of the settlers.

The Lt. Governor assured him that administration was committed to ensure that no day to day activity of settlers is affected in any manner with the enactment of new PAT regulation which have been enacted to protect the interest of the Jarawas as well as the settlers in the area. LG also informed the MP that this matter is under examination by the Administration.

The Member of Parliament also urged upon the Lt. Governor for declaring Viper Island as heritage site. The Lt. Governor informed Shri Ray that the administration was committed to restore and protect the historical sites at the Viper Island and a reputed specialized agency like INTACH will be engaged to assist the administration in preparing the action plan in this regard.

Shri Ray also informed that he was not against the project of Yacht Marina per se but was not in favour of its location at the Viper Island. He also assured the Lt. Governor that he was keen on all tourism development projects to come up which could generate employment for the Islanders. 

The Member of Parliament also raised some other issues relevant for the development of the Islands. He was assured by the Lt. Governor for favourable consideration for the genuine welfare and development of the Islands.