Port Blair, Jan 13: The Member of Parliament, Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Shri. Kuldeep Rai Sharma has highlighted four major issues of Shaheed Dweep Island before the Chief Secretary, Andaman & Nicobar Administration and requested to resolve these issues.

In a letter addressed to the Chief Secretary the Member of Parliament mentioned that the first major issue is that the Island is witnessing indiscriminate power cuts, following faults in lines and increasing power demands, which this is causing a great deal of inconvenience to public, losses to businessmen, bringing bad name to Shaheed Dweep Tourism and causing hardship to the students, who are already trying to adopt to online mode of studies.

He mentioned that the second issue is that for nearly one year, the line boat, which used to go to Rangat from Port Blair via Shaheed Dweep, Swaraj Dweep and Long Island has been withdrawn, which is the major problem for the islanders.

Shaheed Dweep, Swaraj Dweep, Rangat and Long Island being settlement areas, all families are scattered in these Islands because of marriages between Islanders and hence they frequently travel from one Island to other, he said.

The Member of Parliament pointed out that before lockdowns a ferry used to connect all these Islands and hence previously people from these Islands were able to travel from one Island to the other, very fast and with minimum expenditure. Now in absence of the said ferry service people of remote Islands have to come to Port Blair first, halt at Port Blair for tickets and then travel to other Islands, which cost more than Rs.2000 to Rs. 2500 per head.

He mentioned that the third major issue, being faced by residents of Shaheed Dweep, is that nearly 60 senior citizens are not getting their old age pension since the last three months, which is causing hardship to them. These aged people are finding it very difficult to meet their daily expenses.

He said that according to the public, the fourth issue is that since December 2021, residents of Shaheed Dweep have not received sufficient numbers of LPG cylinders, which has caused a great deal of hardship for the people of the Island. As per details, there is a demand for nearly 1300 LPG cylinders every month but the Island is getting hardly 600 to 700 cylinders every month.

The Member of Parliament requested the Chief Secretary to intervene into these four burning issues and direct the concerned departments to provide uninterrupted power supply to the residents of Shaheed Dweep, restart the Ferry Services connecting Shaheed Dweep, Swaraj Dweep, Rangat and Long Island at the earliest, immediately issue old age pension and to send sufficient number of LPG cylinders to Shaheed Dweep.