Port Blair, Oct 4: A growing chorus of residents, commuters, and now the Andaman & Nicobar Territorial Congress Committee (ANTCC) is demanding decisive action to resolve Port Blair’s worsening traffic snarls. At the centre of the storm is the chronically congested stretch of road from Dairy Farm Junction to Garacharma — a vital lifeline connecting the airport, hospitals, and residential areas — that has turned into a daily choke point for thousands of commuters.
In a fresh appeal to the Lt. Governor, ANTCC Campaign Committee Chairman G. Bhasker has warned that the gridlock has reached crisis levels, delaying airport-bound passengers, trapping ambulances carrying critical patients, and worsening the quality of life in what should be a bustling yet liveable island capital.
Bhasker has renewed his call for the immediate construction of a flyover from the Airport Departure Gate up to Garacharma, along with urgent road widening along the airport boundary. “This is no longer just about inconvenience. It’s about public safety and economic efficiency,” he said, citing how commuters and tourists alike lose precious time in avoidable jams. He noted that the arterial road has not seen any major infrastructural upgrade since the mid-1990s, when road widening was last carried out during the tenure of former Lt. Governor Vakkom Purushothaman. Decades of neglect, combined with the seasonal battering of monsoon rains that have left potholes and craters, have turned the route into a hazard for regular motorists, school buses, and emergency vehicles.
While traffic congestion remains the most visible symptom of urban decay in Port Blair, residents complain that it reflects a wider pattern of civic apathy: frequent power outages, recurring disruptions in ship connectivity to the mainland, and poor maintenance of city roads. Together, they argue, these issues not only erode public confidence but also tarnish the island’s image as a premier tourist destination.
“Despite repeated appeals over the years, no serious steps have been taken. The situation has gone from bad to worse, yet the administration seems content to look away,” Bhasker lamented, urging the Lt. Governor to take personal charge of the matter to fast-track the proposed flyover and restore basic civic amenities.
Civic groups warn that without bold interventions — especially in easing urban mobility — Port Blair risks stifling its own growth and alienating both residents and visitors. For now, as traffic clogs the city’s narrow arteries and tempers fray in the tropical heat, the call for a more responsive administration grows louder.
