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Relief workers' focus shifts
to rebuilding infrastructure

What is India News Service, Wednesday, 5 January 2005, 1700 hrs IST

Ten days after the tsunami disaster struck the coastal States in the south and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, the Centre has completed the first stage of relief and rescue operations. The focus now shifts to restoration of infrastructure along the battered coastline, and particularly in the southern islands of the Andaman and Nicobar islands. 

At a joint press briefing here, the Chief of the Integrated Defence Services (IDS), Vice- Admiral Raman Puri, said the first stage was over but the search for missing persons would continue for a week. Three companies of troops were looking out for survivors in the Chowra, Tarassa and Trinkat islands. 

The airfield has been repaired in Car Nicobar where 20 resettlement camps have been set up at Malacca, Parkha, Kakana and Kimose. Power has been restored at the office complex, water point, the Air Force station and the settlement colonies. Since jetties are usable by small boats, naval ships are continuing supplies through them in Little Andaman. 

Five ships \97 Rajput, Gharial, Cheetah, Bhikaji Cama, Kanaklata Baruah \97 are operating to Great Nicobar. The road from Campbell Bay to the southernmost point, Indira Point, is not motorable and relief supplies from Port Blair and Carnic by air and by naval ships are continuing.

4,657 missing from Katchal island: The latest figures provided by the Integrated Relief Command (IRC) here today reveal that roughly 77 per cent of the 6010 officially declared \93missing\94, a figure of 4657, are from the island of Katchal in the southern Nicobar group.

Ghastly death trail as islands' toll mounts to 15,000: Even as the official death toll and the figure for those missing and feared dead in the tsunami-hit mainland coastal states have largely stabilised, the casualty figures from Andaman and Nicobar Islands continued to mount on Tuesday.

Power supply snaps: Tsunami has rendered Andaman and Nicobar Islands powerless. Over 20 staff working at different power stations have been untraceable ever since the tidal waves hit the cluster of island. The major part of Capital city which continues to reel under acute power will have to wait for another 4-5 months before they get their quota of electricity. 

Tsunami part of ICSE syllabus: The Central Board of Secondary Education is, perhaps, not aware that tsunami is already a part of the syllabus in certain schools in the country. In ICSE schools, it is a part of the chapter on earthquakes and volcanoes in the geography book of the 9th standard. In fact the chapter on earthquakes and volcanoes is quite elaborate in the course.

BCCI may reject request: India is unlikely to agree to the request of New Zealand Cricket to fill in for Sri Lanka in a bilateral series, S.K. Nair, secretary of the Board of Control for Cricket in India, indicated today.


CBSE to allow change of centres for tsunami-hit: The Central Board of Secondary Education will consider allowing thousands of students in tsunami-affected areas to change their examination centres, its Chairman said.

Paramilitary forces free of cost for Naxal-hit states: The Union Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) chaired by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Tuesday decided to provide central para-military forces to the Naxalite-affected states without charge for a period of three years.

Europe's tribute for tsunami victims: Europe is to fall silent on Wednesday in memory of tens of thousands of victims of the Indian Ocean disaster as people, companies and governments across the continent dug deep into their pockets.