Vessel 'Sindhu' completes maiden round trip to India's only active volcano in Andamans
Port Blair (PTI): In a bid to promote tourism in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, passenger vessel 'Sindhu' has successfully completed its maiden voyage to Barren Island, the only active volcano in the Indian subcontinent, and returned to Haddo Wharf here, an official said on Sunday.
Chief Secretary Dr Chandra Bhushan Kumar flagged off the ship around 9 pm on October 24.
Nearly 140 km away from Port Blair by sea, the uninhabited Barren Island lies at the junction of the Indian and Burmese tectonic plates.
"The ship returned safely with all tourists and school children on Saturday. This is the first time the union territory administration has launched this service for travellers to visit the island," Andaman and Nicobar chief secretary Dr Chandra Bhushan Kumar told PTI.
There will be two such trips, which will be operated every month, offering islanders and tourists an opportunity to witness one of nature's most awe-inspiring sights, amid the scenic water of the Andaman Sea, he said.
The vessel 'Sindhu', with a carrying capacity of 500 passengers, sailed almost at full capacity, including 125 government school students drawn from different parts of the archipelago.
"Watching the volcano from just a few nautical miles away is amazing," one of the travellers, Archana Devi, said.
Tourists Monideepa Chowdhury and S Pillai thanked crew members of the ship for a wonderful trip.
"Love Andaman. The staffers were extremely courteous, the vessel was clean, and the food was delicious. Looking forward to undertaking the next journey on board Sindhu," Chowdhury said.
The vessel started sailing from Haddo Wharf on Friday evening, and in the early hours of the next day, passengers enjoyed the breathtaking sight as the island's active volcano came into view with a red glow on its crest, according to a statement.
The next morning, the ship circled the island, offering all passengers a stunning panorama of volcanic splendour and the sunrise over the sea, it said.
"The vessel began its return voyage at 8 am, and reached Port Blair around 3 pm on Saturday, marking the end of an extraordinary and historic voyage," the chief secretary said.
There are four categories of accommodation in the vessel.
While 'Coral Suite' and 'Reef Suite' will cost around Rs 8,310 and Rs 6,340 per head, respectively, 'Island Breeze' and 'Lagoon' will cost around Rs 4,290 and Rs 3,180 per head.
Food will be provided for the entire round voyage for an additional charge of Rs 2,000 per passenger.
This new service marks a pivotal development in the tourism sector in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, the chief secretary said.
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2nd WT20I: Shafali, spin trio do star turns in India''s seven-wicket win
Visakhapatnam (PTI): Shafali Verma hit a blistering unbeaten 69 as India made short work of a paltry target to outclass Sri Lanka by seven wickets in the second Women’s T20 International here on Tuesday.
India now lead the five-match series 2-0 after another one-sided victory, having restricted Sri Lanka to a modest 128 for 9 through a collective display of disciplined bowling from the spin trio of seasoned Sneh Rana, ably complemented by young spinners Vaishnavi Sharma and Shree Charani.
During the chase, vice-captain Smriti Mandhana (14) fell cheaply but Shafali, enjoying new found confidence after a stellar show in the World Cup final, sent the bowlers on a leather-hunt during her 34-ball knock, winning it for her team in just 11.5 overs.
The hosts have now completed back-to-back successful chases within 15 overs which speaks volumes about the unit's sky-high confidence.
Shafali's innings had 11 punchy boundaries apart from a maximum.
The floodgates opened when left-arm spinner Inoka Ranaweera bowled a few flighted deliveries and Shafali would step out everytime to hit her over extra cover. Her footwork against slow bowlers was immaculate whether stepping out to loft the ball or rocking back to punch or pull.
Seeing her confidence, the newly appointed Delhi Capitals skipper Jemimah Rodrigues (26 off 15 balls) also attacked as the duo added 58 runs in just 4.3 overs.
By the time Rodrigues was out trying to hit one six too many, the match as a contest was over. Shafali completed her half-century off just 27 balls and completed the formalities in a jiffy.
Earlier, off-spinner Rana, who got a look-in after Deepti Sharma was ruled out due to fever, showed her utility keeping the Lankan batters under tight leash with figures of 1 for 11 in 4 overs, including a maiden which certainly is a rarity in T20 cricket.
Charani, who made an impression during India's ODI World Cup triumph, took 2 for 23 in her quota of overs, while Vaishnavi after an impressive debut in the opening encounter, finished with 2 for 32, not letting the Islanders get easy runs in her second spell.
The last six wickets fell for just 24 runs, but what stood out during India’s bowling effort was their superb ground fielding. After a patchy show in the previous game, the improved sharpness in the field resulted in three run-outs.
Sri Lankan skipper Chamari Athapaththu (31 off 24 balls) looked in good nick as she deposited length deliveries from seamers Kranti Gaud and Arundhati Reddy over the ropes but it was Rana, who kept her quiet by repeatedly pitching on good length.
Unable to manoeuvre the strike and with the big hits suddenly drying up, Athapaththu chanced her arm at another delivery in which Rana had shortened the length slightly.
Not having transferred the weight into the lofted shot, Athapaththu's hoick was pouched cleanly by Amanjot Kaur at long-off.
This was after Athapaththu's opening partner Vishmi Gunaratne (1) had offered a simple return catch to Gaud.
Hasini Perera (22 off 28 balls) and Harshitha Samarawickrama (33 off 32 balls) did stitch a stand of 44 but they could never set the tempo against the Indian spin troika.
Once Hasini offered a tame return catch off a Charani full-toss, Sri Lankans never recovered and lost wickets in a heap towards the end.
