Heavy rains lash Andaman & Nicobar islands - 800 tourists stranded in Havelock Island

Heavy rains have lashed Andaman and Nicobar (A&N) Islands and, with around 800 tourists stranded on Havelock Island, the Indian Navy has stepped in to evacuate them. Accordingly, four Naval ships Bitra, Bangaram, Kumbhir and Landing Craft Utility (LCU) 38 were deployed for the purpose.
Navy sources have said that the deployment was based on telephonic request from the civilian authorities.
This has been reported in thehindu.com dated 7 December 2016.

The ships have already departed from Port Blair and are on location. The state of the sea is bad with heavy swell and the ships will go alongside to ferry the tourists to Port Blair.
The heavy rains are a result of a depression in the Bay of Bengal and the National Weather Forecasting Centre of the Indian Meteorological Department had forecast and predicted heavy to very heavy rain at a few places over A&N Islands over the next five days beginning Wednesday. Apart from the forecast of rains there were warnings of winds with speeds of 40-60 kmph and rough sea condition. Fisherman were advised not to venture into the sea around the A&N islands.


Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org

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Andaman Islands are emerging as a tourist hotspot for people of Kolkata

The Andamans is an archipelago of 572 islands in the Bay of Bengal and it is gradually emerging as a top destination for tourists from Kolkata - thanks to better connectivity with the mainland by virtue of the introduction of a number of flights between Kolkata and Port Blair.
The Andamans are a beautiful part of India which has a rich history and breathtaking natural beauty.
This has been reported in timesofindia.indiatimes.com dated 31 October 2016.

Vistara is the latest airline to add a Kolkata-Port Blair service - it has aligned its flight arrival and departure timings with ferry and catamaran services to Havelock. The daily count of flights to Andamans, therefore, has increased to six. A large number of flights have been added within the past 18 months. Capacity has increased while fares have gone down by nearly 50%. Obviously, tourist traffic to the islands has surged.
Right now, IndiGo Airlines, Jet Airways, SpiceJet, Air India and Go Air operate daily flights.
Port Blair has white sandy beaches, rich flora and fauna and its calmness and serenity has remained unexplored by the average holidayer from Kolkata because of poor connectivity. There used to be only a couple of flights, seats were difficult to get and fares were high. The return fare in the off-season was Rs 20,000-25,000 and it doubled in the peak season. Now, the average return fare has come down to around Rs 12,000 in the off-season.
Out of the islands, Havelock Islands has emerged as a major attraction among tourists. It is set against a backdrop of lush forests. The most attractive beaches are Radhanagar Beach, Beach 5, Neil's Cove and Kalapathar Beach.


Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org


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