Port Blair, April 1 : The Comm st Party of India (Marxist) has demanded democratic form of governance in Andaman and Nicobar Islands instead of the present bureaucratic governance. Talking To on Friday, D. Ayyappan, Secretary, CPI (M) said that A & N State Organizing Committee In a resolution adopted in the just concluded 11th Andaman & Nicobar State Conference, party noted with concern that even after 74 years of independence, the Central government of the largest democracy in the world has not provided a democratic set up with a Legislative Assembly for the on territory of Andaman and Nicobar Islands. He said that the State Conference of the CPI(M) observed that even the Pradesh Council which was provided by the Janata Party Government in the year 1979 was abolished by the Congress (I) Government in 1994, thereby once again allowing bureaucracy to reign supreme. After the abolition of the Pradesh Council, there was no state-level democratic forum for the whole of the on territory having 3 districts. “The 11th CPI (M) State Conference further observed that in the past, attempts were made by the CPI(M) MPs in the Parliament to establish a Legislative Assembly, but could not succeed due to lack of interest shown by Congress(I) and BJP. The population of these islands is more than five lakhs. The Conference observed that unless and until a Legislative Assembly, on the Pondicherry model is provided, problems of the islanders cannot be resolved in a democratic and meaningful manner,” he added. The CPI (M) State Conference, has urged upon the central government to take immediate steps to provide Legislative Assembly for Andaman and Nicobar Islands on the Pondicherry model in order to have democratic governance in the islands and to fulfill the aspirations of the islanders, till then restoration of the erstwhile Pradesh Council with more powers. SKR BM
