The Lt. Governor, A&N Islands, Prof. Jagdish Mukhi laid the foundation stone for the work of extension of Junglighat Jetty by 75 meters and also inaugurated a diesel outlet at Fish Landing Centre at Junglighat on Monday in the presence of the Member of Parliament, Mr Bishnu Pada Ray, Chief Secretary, A&N Administration, Mr Anindo Majumdar, Chairperson PBMC, Mr B. Eswar Rao, Adhyaksh ZP South Andaman, Mr Jaydeep Kumar Dey, senior officers from administration and fishermen of the area. Addressing the gathering, the Lt. Governor said, it is a moment of great pleasure to lay the foundation for the extension of Fish Landing Jetty. He said that the diesel punp installed by the Indian Oil Corporation, has fulfilled the long standing demand of the fishermen. With the inauguration of this diesel punp, the fishermen who were collecting diesel from private diesel pump about two to three kilometers away from Junglighat will now get the required quantity of diesel for their boats at the location. This, the Lt. Governor said will not only save time, but also save money which they spent on transporting the fuel. The Lt. Governor mentioned that the landmark project was initiated by the Member of Parliament, Mr Bishnu Pada Ray, for which, he whole heartedly complimented the MP for the initiative. The Lt. Governor stated that the Administration has taken numerous steps to ensure that the social and financial upliftment of the local fishermen community in the Islands by way of developing fisheries infrastructure facilities in different places of A&N Islands. He said, extension of Fish Landing Jetty at Junglighat is another step towards this direction. The Lt. Governor disclosed that a petrol outlet will be inaugurated on June 1 at Havelock and with the coming up of this outlet in the area, people of the area can save 18 rupees compared to the prevailing rate from June 1. The Lt. Governor said, the department is also developing facilities for preservation of fish and fishery products by establishing Cold Storages and Ice Plants at various places. The work for the Ice Plant at Panighat is under progress and installation of plant and machinery for 10 ton capacity Ice Plant will commence soon. He stated that the Department of Fisheries is also implementing various central sector schemes like Blue Revolution which was launched by the Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi. The Department has initiated action to achieve necessary goal in implementation of Blue Revolution in A&N Islands which will further strengthen the fisheries sector in the Islands. The Administration has proposed to construct 19 Fish Landing Centres in different locations of the Islands and out of this, at present 6 Fish Landing Centres have been completed and put into use, the Lt. Governor disclosed. He said, another 11 Fish Landing Centres are at different stages of construction, of which, some are nearing completion. In addition to this, he said, with the assistance of National Fisheries Development Board (NFDB), two modern Fish Markets, one each at Junglighat and Mohanpura is being taken up to provide a much safer and hygienic environment to the fishermen as well as the consumers. The Lt. Governor said, the modern fish market at Junglighat is expected to be completed by March 2018 while the construction work of modern fish market at Mohanpura will start soon. Regarding the old Jetty at Junglighat which has to be demolished, the Lt. Governor said, condemnation certificate has been obtained and fund has been sanctioned for taking up of demolition. The tender has been floated and this will be done soon. The Lt. Governor said in the years to come, more fisheries infrastructure facilities will be created for the betterment of the fishermen community of the Islands. The Member of Parliament, Mr Bishnu Pada Ray expressed happiness over the laying of foundation stone for the extension of the jetty which, according to him, was the long pending demand of the fishers to accommodate their fishing boats. Mr Ray said that for the first time in the history of India, a diesel outlet has been opened in the premises of Fish Landing Centre in Junglighat. Through this outlet, fishers will get diesel in cheaper rate and they will not only save money but also get diesel in the jetty itself without wasting their time. Shri Ray stated that many of the Central Govt. schemes for the fishermen needs to be implemented in a proper manner in these Islands. He said the Model Fishermen Village’, a housing scheme for the fisher folks is yet to be implemented. He further informed that the subsidy scheme for construction of boats should be implemented fully and urged for taking up the 19 cases which are still pending with the Department of Fisheries. He further urged for providing financial assistance to the fishermen as is given in the States like Kerala, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu to compensate the 45 days ban imposed for fish breeding all over India. Shri Ray also urged the Department to provide GPS navigation aid to the fishermen which, according to him, is very much essential for the fisher folks while venturing into the sea. The Member of Parliament urged the Administration to instruct the Departments like Health, APWD and ANIIDCO to go for online purchases of goods/equipments for making the procurement process totally transparent. Referring to his meeting with the Power Minister in New Delhi, Mr Piyush Goyal, the MP stated that he had taken up with the Minister about the issue of electrification in the houses of people who are residing in Forest reserve area for the last 40 years. The Secretary Fisheries, Mr Ramesh Verma informed that the Jetty is being extended up to 75 meters and the project is being executed with the support of MPEDA. Once completed, it will pave the way for berthing of fishing boats of the fishermen. The diesel outlet for the fishermen has been established due to the painstaking effort taken by the Member of Parliament and with the support of IOC, he added. The project was sanctioned during May 2016 with an estimated cost of Rs. 10 crores and will be taken up by ALHW. The Chairperson, PBMC, Mr Eswar Rao said the opening of the diesel outlet and foundation stone for extension of the Jetty is the fulfilment of the long pending demand of the fishers residing in the area. He urged the Administration for taking concrete steps to uplift the living condition of fisher folks and work for the socio- economic development of the poor fishermen. He also urged the Administration for providing subsidy in diesel, fishing net, installing CCTV camera, ATM, providing walkie -talkie and a canteen inside the jetty premises for the benefit of the fishermen. The Chairman A&N Fisheries Cooperative Ltd., Mr Vallabh Rao expressed his gratitude to the Member of Parliament for his efforts to develop the diesel outlet and foundation for the extension of the jetty. He said that the Federation has 133 members enrolled and it is working for the betterment of the fishermen community. He urged for construction of a cold storage and Ice plant, re- starting of the Fishermen Training School. The Director of Fisheries, Mr J. Chandrashekar proposed the vote of thanks.