M EENNATA W R KO R K M T OW
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Now a day, a group of men are seen engaged in a mission of digging roads and laying power cables in South Andaman area. During the last few months this group had dug roads in Shore Point - Bambooflat - Wimberly Gunj area. During their digging mission, I could see this group possess a unique work culture, which makes this league of diggers “extraordinary� among the contemporaries.
he roads, wherever this particular group has laid cables has not only been reduced to half its capacity, the roads are left strewn with heaps of mud, dust and dirt rendering the road unfit for motorists, specially two wheelers and pedestrians as well. In one of the instance, this extraordinary workforce dug one side of the road at Shore Point village, laid cable, placed heaps of mud on the trenches without compacting it and disappeared overnight.
road users. There is a bank, few offices, shops, petrol bunk, eateries, tea stalls and a primary school nearby. The state of health of those kids is anybodys guess. Further at the Phoenix Bay powerhouse circle the cut in the road has been so badly repaired it is almost impossible for a car to cross. Recently a truck loaded with scrap sank in the trench blocking traffic on foreshore road. A crane had to be chartered to bail out the truck and restore traffic after an hour long ordeal. When asked about reason for not filling the trenches properly, the supervisor informed he is only a naukar, he has been employed to dig trenches, lay underground cable, place heaps of loose mud on the trench and move on. The same question when put to the engineer incharge of the group, he expressed solidarity with the affected villagers and informed funds for repair of roads on this count has already been paid to APWD. He is thus not in a position to explain the delay caused in repair of the damaged roads.
In a bizarre turn of events the work force returned to dig the other side of the 3m wide road which happens to be the only road leading to two primary schools, a primary health centre, a temple, the lone petrol pump of Ferrargunj tehsil, Muslim graveyard, Hindu burial ghat and to Shore Point village. Since first side of the road dug earlier was not filled properly, digging the second side reduced it to a meadow. Rain played havoc. Two wheelers, Tempo and Buses heading to refuel began to sink in the trench one by one causing traffic jam. The Pradhan Shore Point Gram Panchayat had to intervene, stop further digging till the other side of the road was properly filled. The league of extraordinary diggers are now seen engaged in digging mission in and around Port Blair town. The stretch of road from Phoenix bay power house to LIC building is a glaring example of the groups unique work culture. One side of the road in front of departmental petrol bunk is occupied by parked vehicles. The other side has been dug out and neither filled properly nor compacted. Heaps of loose mud spread on the road emits blinding dust giving nightmarish experience to
Amid officials dodging responsibility, common public, school children, ladies, elderly and two wheeler riders are at the receiving end. The question is how long we need to bear the harassment in the name of augmentation of services? Is there
any law regulating such road cutting? Is there anybody who could take responsibility of making the roads usable once again? If there is anybody, please come out in the light, we need your services urgently. DEBKUMAR BHADRA
Shore Point, Bambooflat, South Andaman-744107 Email : debkumar_bhadra@yahoo.com