Ref No.HRO/LG/PB/01/2015 06/01/2015 To Honble Lt. Gen. A K Singh, PVSM, AVSM, SM, VSM (Retd), Lt. Governor, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Raj Niwas, Port Blair. Respected Sir, The Human Rights Organisation (HRO), Andaman and Nicobar Islands wholeheartedly appreciate your efforts to have Charter Flight Services between the sectors Port Blair – Chennai/Vizag as well as Port Blair - Car Nicobar and vice versa on selected dates for the benefit of the islanders which include Government servants working in the islands and the tourists on fixed low fare taking into account that the Airlines Companies operating flight services in the Port Blair - mainland sectors are exorbitantly squeezing the people of these islands by levying high air fare to go to mainland and also to return. We extend our sincere thanks to you and the A&N Administration for this great task done for our people. In this connection we would like to mention about the procedure adopted for booking the tickets. The tickets are being reserved on first come first served basis as per the announcement made in the newspaper. In the Directorate of Shipping, there is a Star Booking Counter executed by the Indian Railway (CRIS) which reserves the tickets for the inter island shipping services and mainland - island shipping services. Assistant Director, Shipping, Chennai is reserving the tickets for incoming passengers by ships. Earlier, there were many incidents of abnormal corruption in the booking of ship tickets which on several complaints the Anti Corruption Department has booked several ticketing clerks also. We would like to mention that the places where the reservation of tickets has been given is a wrong place both at Port Blair and Chennai. At Port Blair, about 1 km away from the Booking Counter ie. opposite to Transport Work shop there is a Parking place and this place in normal time is filled with heavy vehicles, two wheelers and other light vehicles. When the ship/boat arrives at the jetty, the crowd of the vehicles cannot be described. No vehicle will be allowed to park or enter inside the boundary of either the shipping office or the booking counter. One has to keep the vehicles about one and half kilometer and walk to the jetty for booking the tickets where the long queue and crowd is unprecedented. Similarly, the responsibility of booking the tickets at Chennai is entrusted with the Assistant Director (Shipping), Chennai Port which is situated far away from Chennai city and this is an inaccessible and heavy traffic area and is difficult to cross the road. Normally, this office and its counter is over crowded with the people who are coming for booking ship tickets. Over and above, now they are given this responsibility too. Sir, you are well aware that thousands of islands’ children, many of them are girl students studying in different States on the mainland for higher studies. They are to visit their houses in the Islands on Vacations, long holidays like Christmas, Pongal and other important festivals and these children particularly girls cannot go to AD (Shipping) office at the Chennai Port to book the tickets. Here the difficulties are first the forms should be filled up and given to the booking clerk along with the required amount and again she/ he has to visit the Counter to collect the tickets which the Air India Office is issuing. Although it has been informed that the agent of the Administration will be present at the airport on the flight day, what is the guarantee that he /she is confirmed the tickets to undertake the journey. In our opinion, we mention that the entire ticket reservation system made by the Administrating at the present moment is totally a mess which is not going to serve the purpose of the islanders and the islands students. We request you Sir, the Ticket Reservation at Port Blair should be made at the Secretariat where the new Building is made behind the Railway Counter and the Chennai Booking Office should be shifted to either at KK Nagar Guest House or Andaman House at Anna Nagar and the DRC should be made in-Charge. The second issue is the quota system being introduced by the Administration. When the Administration says that tickets will be issued on first come first served basis then what is the necessity for the quota system. There should be separate counter for the Government Servants, Retired Government Officials/Senior Citizens and the General public separately as is done in Railway counters so that persons altogether will not be entangled and struggled for obtaining tickets making hue and cry. Third issue is that in case the A&N Administration proposes to regularly run the Chartered flights then on line ticket booking system should be introduced at the earliest to solve all these problems. Those who wanted to go to the counter can book the tickets at the Counter by paying the amount, and those who wanted to book the tickets can book flight tickets through on line using ATM- cum -Debit Card, Internet Banking, Credit Card, as is being done by the IRCTC (Railways), Airline Companies, Universities and Colleges, Educational Institutions, Banks, BSNL, A&N Islands (to make payment of the bills), Electricity Boards on the mainland (for bill payment), etc. Railways/ Airlines has created a prescribed form in their websites to fill the details including name, address, telephone numbers of the passengers wherein there is special column to mention about the Senior Citizen, Retired Govt. Servants, Military personnel and the like. In the same way, Administration can also create a form in the website in which provisions should be made to mention about the Local Certificate Number/Islander Identity Cards Number/ Pension ID Card Number/ Departmental ID No. and the like and the proof can be submitted to the concerned authority at the Check in Counter to verify the genuiness. We are sure that this will adequately help the Islanders, our children studying on the mainland at far of places and others to avail the chartered flight without any problem and make corruption free. We hope and trust that an urgent action may be taken in the matter and request your Highness to resolve the issue in the interest of the islanders. Thanking you, Yours faithfully, C.Saravanan General Secretary. Copy to: 1. The Chief Secretary, A&N Administration, Port Blair. 2. The Secretary, Civil Aviation, A&N Administration.
Posted on: Fri, 09 Jan 2015 16:14:43 +0000