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.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Odisha: Normalcy returns to violence-hit Malkangiri; internet services fully restored
Malkangiri (PTI): Normalcy returned to Odisha’s Malkangiri district on Monday, nearly a week after around 200 villages were damaged in violent clashes in a village, with the district administration fully restoring internet services, a senior official said.
Additional District Magistrate Bedabar Pradhan said internet services, suspended across the district on December 8 to curb the spread of rumours and misinformation following the clashes, were restored after the situation improved.
The suspension had been extended in phases till 12 noon on Monday.
The administration also withdrew prohibitory orders imposed under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita within a 10-km radius of MV-26 village, where arson incidents were reported on December 7 and December 8.
Though the violence was confined to two villages, tension had gripped the entire district, as the incident took the form of a clash between local tribals and Bengali settlers following the recovery of a headless body of a woman on December 4, officials said.
ALSO READ: Why remove Mahatma Gandhi's name, asks Priyanka on move to replace MGNREGA
The violence broke out after residents of Rakhelguda village allegedly set ablaze several houses belonging to Bengali residents, forcing hundreds to flee. The headless body of Lake Podiami (51), a woman from the Koya tribe, was recovered from the banks of the Poteru river on December 4, while her head was found six days later at a location about 15 km away.
Officials said the district administration held several rounds of discussions with representatives of the tribal and Bengali communities, following which both sides agreed to maintain peace.
Relief and rehabilitation work has since been launched at MV-26 village, with preliminary assessment pegging property damage at around Rs 3.8 crore.
A two-member ministerial team headed by Deputy Chief Minister K V Singh Deo visited the affected village, interacted with officials and locals, and submitted a report to the chief minister.
So far, 18 people have been arrested in connection with the violence, the officials said, adding that despite the withdrawal of prohibitory orders and restoration of internet services, security forces, including BSF and CRPF personnel, continue to be deployed to prevent any untoward incident.
On Sunday, Nabarangpur MP Balabhadra Majhi visited MV-26 and neighbouring Rakhelguda villages, and held discussions with members of both communities as part of efforts to rebuild confidence and restore peace.
More than two lakh Bengali-speaking Bangladeshis were rehabilitated by the Centre in Malkangiri and Nabarangpur districts in 1968, and they currently reside in 124 villages of Malkangiri.
