: Havelock island remained unreachable for the second day on Thursday as the depression over the Andaman Sea intensified into cyclonic storm ‘Vardah’. Two passenger vessels of the Andaman Shipping Services, MV Rani Lakshmi and MV Kamorta , were sent to Havelock to evacuate nearly 1,100 tourists, but both the vessels had to return to Port Blair because of high waves in the sea.
Later, cargo vessel MV Badam was also sent to Havelock with supplies and medicines but had to return because of bad weather conditions. Sources said there were efforts to send Coast Guard vessels to Havelock to evacuate the tourists but bad weather put paid to this as well.
Locals extend help
Vessels of the Indian Navy, which had been sent to Havelock on Wednesday, were called back considering their safety at sea in the high waves.
Meanwhile, the local administration directed hotel and restaurant owners to help tourists by extending their bookings and by providing free food, whenever possible. While nearly 1,100 tourists are stranded at Havelock and 400 tourists continue to be stranded at Neil island, tourists stuck in the Port Blair area complained about poor coordination from the Tourism Department and lack of awareness about helpline centres for tourists.
They also complained of problems in extending bookings in hotels. In a video statement, Lieutenant Governor of Andaman & Nicobar Islands Jagdish Mukhi today claimed, “All tourists are safe. They could not be brought back to Port Blair only [upon] considering their safety.”
Landslides reported
Cyclone Vardah played havoc in many remote Islands, bringing normal life to a standstill. In the north and middle Andaman region, various islands like Diglipur, Rangat and Billyground witnessed a flood-like situation because of very heavy rainfall.
The movement of vehicles on the Andaman Trunk Road was disrupted in various places in middle and north Andaman due to flooding in low-lying areas. There were reports of landslides along the Andaman Trunk Road. The cyclone blew away roofs of several dozen houses and damaged crops in north and middle Andaman. Snapping of power cables has left many areas without power for more than two days.
The Deputy Commissioner of South Andaman, Udit Prakash Rai, said the administration would compensate those who had suffered loss because of the weather conditions.
The administration has suspended helicopter and shipping services. Some flights landed at Port Blair while many others were cancelled. The airport witnessed frayed tempers when SpiceJet cancelled its flight after passengers had boarded the aircraft.
