Andamans: NDMA calls for intensified Tsunami work

Port Blair, Mar 5: The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) has once again asked the Andaman and Nicobar Administration to intensify the tsunami rehabilitation and reconstruction work in the remote scattered Islands, official said today.

A high-level meeting was organized here to review the progress of tsunami reconstruction project with special focus on construction of permanent shelters for tsunami victims, ports and jetties and roads in tsunami-hit Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

The meeting was held at the conference hall of Raj Niwas here last evening, which was attended by Vice-Chairman of National Disaster Management Authority(NDMA) General(Retd) NC Vij and the Lt Governor Lt General(Retd) Bhopinder Singh, apart from NDMA members and senior officers of the local Administration.

In his brief address on the occasion, the NDMA Vice-Chairman said that in order to complete the tsunami reconstruction project at the earliest, best efforts were needed to be put in place by all concerned organizations.

Speaking on the occasion, the Lt Governor said that in spite of logistic and other issue, the administration will do its best for completion of the permanent shelter construction works at the earliest.

The team of National Disaster Management Authority(NDMA), headed by its Vice-Chairman, accompanied by inter-ministerial team arrived on a two-day visit to the capital city of Andaman and Nicobar Islands on March 3 take a stock of the tsunami permanent shelter construction work.

The team today visited the construction site in Hutbay and Bamboo flat islands of Andaman District.

General Vij and his team also visited the worst-hit Campbell Bay Islands, where they inspected the Permanent shelter construction, break water, jetty and seawall construction site of North-South road.

The team also visited the Permanent shelter construction at Kinyuka village of Car Nicobar Island and other nearby islands like Chowra, Teressa and Katchal, which were completely ravaged by 2004 tsunami, top administrative officials of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands said here today.

UNI