Endless wait for shelters in tsunami hit islands

Port Blair, Sept 8: Even after 20 months of the devastating tsunami, the homeless islanders of Andaman and Nicobar archipelago are still waiting for permanent shelters.

They have been living in makeshift houses several months after the tsunami.

''Life has become miserable for these unfortunate people. During Water starts dripping from all sides in monsoon,'' said Anwar a tribal youth of Car Nicobar's Sawai village.

After the tsunami, the administration in these islands had provided intermediate shelters to about 46,000 people and promised to provide permanent shelters, which remains unfullfilled.

''Forget about permanent shelters. Look at these intermediate shelters--flooring, panels and wiring--are yet to be done. The progress of work is laggard, ergo we have built our own shelters. The government provided some raw material, the tribal youth said.

In many cases four families were provided just one intermediate shelter in Nicobar Groups of islands.

The lone Member of Parliament from the islands Manoranjan Bhakta visited here recently. Mr Bhakta told sources over phone from Campbell Bay, the southernmost island of Indian Territory that ''the main grievance of the tribal population here is the delay in construction of permanent shelters. They have urged the government to expedite the process.'' The roads connecting some remote tsunami-ravaged villages have not been constructed yet.

Caritas India working with Catholic Relief Services has signed a MoU for construction of 480 permanent shelters at South Andaman and Little Andaman.

Mata Amritanandmayi Math would also construct 100 shelters at Bambooflat area of South Andaman. Similarly Care India has pledged to build 954 shelters in South Andaman and Little Andaman.

Church's Auxiliary for Social Action (CASA) have signed a MoU for constructing 572 shelters for the tsunami hit Island at Car Nicobar. Another NGO, Hindustani Covenant Church, would construct 152 shelters in South Andamans, according to official figures.

These efforts would be supplementing the efforts of the Andaman Public Works Department, who would be constructing 139 shelters in South Andaman. The Central Public Works Department has been entrusted with the responsibility of constructing 7317 shelters at Little Andaman and the far flung Islands of Teressa, Katchal, Kamorta, Nancowry, Bambooka, Great Nicobar, Little Nicobar, besides Car Nicobar.

The territory administration has planned to construct 9,714 permanent shelters for the victims, an official statement of local administration said here.

But in reality, due to difficult terrain and hostile weather conditions the administration is facing problems in starting the work in many islands.

It is very difficult to ship materials for construction of building to all these remote and inaccessible islands, said Suresh Nair, a private contractor working in Car Nicobar.

The December 26, 2004 tsunami rendered 9000 families homeless across the Andaman and Nicobar Islands killing more than 3800 people, and causing great loss to property.

UNI