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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SC refuses plea against Andhra Pradesh govt panel reviewing SIT report on Tirumala laddu row
New Delhi (PTI): In a significant development, the Supreme Court on Monday declined to restrain a one-member committee appointed by the Andhra Pradesh government from reviewing an independent Special Investigation Team's (SIT) report on the Tirumala laddu controversy.
The top court, on October 4, 2024, had set up the five-member independent SIT to probe the allegations of animal fat used in preparing Tirupati laddus to "assuage the feelings of crores of people", while making clear that the court cannot be used as a "political battleground".
On Monday, a bench of Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justice Joymala Bagchi was told by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Subramanian Swamy that the state government's decision to appoint the one-member committee amounts to setting up a parallel inquiry that would affect the SIT's probe. The plea also assailed statements made by Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on the row.
Rejecting the submissions, the CJI noted that the SIT probe is already over and the matter is sub-judice as two chargesheets, including a supplementary one, have been submitted in the court.
"Such an administrative enquiry cannot be called as overlapping with the criminal proceedings which led to the chargesheet and the supplementary chargesheet," the CJI said.
"There is no conflict of interest/overlapping, and the scope of the investigation/enquiry, having been well demarcated, shows that apprehension of the petitioner does not have a solid foundation. Let both processes continue strictly in accordance with the law," the court said.
Swamy argued that the state government's move undermines the authority of the SIT, constituted earlier by the Supreme Court itself to probe irregularities surrounding the laddus distributed by the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD).
During the proceedings, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta said the SIT has completed its investigation and filed its final report.
He underlined that according to the Central Bureau of Investigation's (CBI) manual, if administrative lapses not connected to a criminal matter are found during a probe, then those have to be intimated to the state government, and as the SIT has found certain administrative lapses, the Andhra Pradesh government's panel is looking into those.
The panel replaced the state government's SIT, constituted on September 26, 2024, following the politically-sensitive row over the alleged use of animal fat in the laddus.
The controversy erupted after Naidu's claim that animal fat was used in preparing Tirupati laddus during the previous Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy-led regime in the southern state.
The YSR Congress Party has accused Naidu of levelling "heinous allegations" against it for political gains, while the ruling Telugu Desam Party in the state has circulated a laboratory report to back its claim.
A batch of pleas, including those seeking a court-monitored probe into the alleged use of animal fat in making the laddus, was then filed in the apex court.
