Tarun Karthick
Sri Vijaya Puram, 03 September 2025
Mr. Bishnu Pada Ray, Hon’ble Member of Parliament, Andaman & Nicobar Islands, has known as upon the Union Territory Administration to right away put together and ahead the pending street work estimates below the Central Road Fund (CRF) to the Ministry of Road Transport & Highways (MoRTH), New Delhi.
Recalling the monetary constraints below the Capital Head, the MP stated he had personally requested Mr. Nitin Gadkari, Union Minister for Road Transport & Highways, for central help. Responding positively, the Minister had consented to an allocation of ₹100 crore below the CRF and directed the Administration to submit complete street work estimates. However, the Andaman Public Works Department (APWD) submitted solely partial proposals, resulting in approval for a restricted set of works.
On August 28, 2025, MoRTH conveyed approval for 90 street tasks value ₹4,998.69 lakh, masking 49 works in 24 Municipal Wards and 41 works below APWD divisions at Prothrapur, Wimberly Gunj, Hut Bay, and Campbell Bay. While the sanction has been welcomed, Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs) and residents of North & Middle Andaman and Nicobar Districts have expressed sturdy dissatisfaction over their exclusion from the proposals.
According to the MP, APWD has cited the “non-availability of local stone quarry” and the excessive value of imported supplies as causes for the delay in getting ready estimates. However, inputs from the District Administration, North & Middle Andaman, backed by an IIT Kharagpur report, affirm that satisfactory quarry sources exist at Panchawati and different websites, with solely about 10% at the moment utilized.
Terming APWD’s stance as an “improper assessment of ground realities,” Mr. Bishnu Pada Ray warned that such lapses have already hampered very important infrastructure tasks, together with PMGSY-III, creating widespread resentment amongst Islanders.
He has demanded that APWD urgently revisit the problem in session with the District Administration, North & Middle Andaman, and put together the pending CRF estimates with out additional delay. Stressing the urgency, he stated the proposals have to be forwarded to MoRTH on the earliest to satisfy the developmental aspirations of individuals throughout all three districts of the Union Territory.
