Rain delays permanent shelter construction work in Great Nicob

Port Blair, Dec 21 (UNI) Construction of permanent homes for homeless tsunami victims in Great Nocobar villages was delayed further following heavy rains in the islands for past weeks, officials involved in the rehabilitation projects said today.

The vagaries of nature also hampered laying of new road to be connected with the devastated villages that have been ravaged by the tsunami in December 2004.

'' Tsunami had washed away the lone coastal road, which used to connect most of the villages of Great Nicobar and unless a new road is constructed we are unable of send logistics for construction of permanent shelters,'' Relief Commissioner Andaman and Nicobar Islands Dharam Pal told UNI.

The work of construction of new road was given to Border Roads Organisation (BRO).

''Its raining heavily in Great Nicobar and I was told that last two days it has rained more than what it is in monsoon, so the road construction work may get delayed,'' BRO official R Khosla said.

Mr Pal said that permanent shelter construction work for most of the other places have already started and by 2007 end all the 9797 shelters for around 46,000 of homeless tsunami hit people will be ready. '' About 210 kms of road length was badly damaged due to earthquake and tsunami. The damage was particularly severe in islands like Campbell Bay and Car Nicobar jetties which are the lifeline of the islands, said Khosla.

The BRO is constructing a new road for remote villages of Great Nicobar of 36.45 km in length, which will be far away from sea unlike the earlier road, which is now unusable after tsunami.

UNI SKR PC/src AB RK1105