Port Blair, Oct 8 (PTI) The much-awaited meeting between Andaman and Nicobar Islands Lieutenant Governor Admiral D K Joshi (Retd) and BJP MP Bishnu Pada Ray took place at the Raj Niwas here on Tuesday with both parties agreeing to tackle various pending development works on a mission mode to benefit local residents and the trader community, officials said.
For several days, Ray has been demanding the removal of the Lieutenant Governor, alleging a lack of development in the Union territory during his tenure.
On Monday, prohibitory orders under Section 163 of the BNSS were clamped in parts of Port Blair ahead of a protest march by Bishnu Pada Ray to Raj Niwas demanding Joshi’s ouster.
Ray claimed that the poor are suffering due to Joshi’s anti-people stance, stating that critical files related to development in education, roads, healthcare, land registration, land conversion, and tourism have been “gathering dust” and locked away for seven years, since the Lieutenant Governor took office.
The MP also urged Joshi to prioritise drinking water, electricity, better healthcare facilities, steep airfares, 100 per cent job reservation for locals, tourism development, among others, officials said.
Speaking to PTI, Ray expressed gratitude to the local residents for their support. He described the meeting as productive, stating that the Lieutenant Governor had instructed senior administrative officials to expedite solutions for all pending issues, including land registration and land conversion.
Ray also requested Joshi to expedite the promulgation of a domicile law through Parliament to restrict the entry of non-local candidates in government departments. He emphasised that trade and industry have been struggling for a long time.
Earlier, the Andaman Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ACCI) submitted several representations to Joshi, urging his intervention to resolve issues hampering the islands’ economic growth and negatively impacting sectors like trade, commerce, tourism, and hospitality. PTI SN SN MNB
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