Public ferry services from the New Chatham Jetty at Haddo are likely to begin by mid-February, the administration has said, following a protest over delays in operationalising the newly constructed facility.
Providing an update on the status of the project after a meeting with protesters, Sub-Divisional Magistrate Kamleshwar Rao said the New Chatham Jetty is expected to become operational between February 15 and 20, subject to the completion of trial runs. He said orders for essential docking infrastructure, including fenders and bollards, have been placed with suppliers on the mainland and acknowledged that their arrival would take time. Rao added that remaining repair and installation work would begin once the equipment reaches the islands, following which trial operations would be conducted before ferry services are formally launched.
The assurance came after members of the citizens’ movement Paani Paar Ki Awaaz staged a protest demanding the immediate commencement of ferry services from the jetty. The demonstration marked a relatively rare instance of public unrest in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, which are otherwise known for minimal street-level agitation and a largely peaceful civic environment.
Protesters said the continued delay, despite the completion of construction, has caused inconvenience to daily commuters and boat operators who depend on ferry services for travel between the islands.
During the protest, participants flagged what they described as key infrastructure gaps at the New Chatham Jetty. They said the jetty currently lacks essential docking equipment, including fenders used to prevent damage to vessels during berthing and bollards required to secure boats safely. According to the protesters, the absence of these fittings makes regular ferry operations unsafe.
Boat operators also raised concerns over operational conditions at the jetty. A boat master told The Wave Andaman that strong currents in the area have previously made docking difficult, creating safety risks for vessels, crew and passengers.
Protesters alleged that repeated representations to the administration had not resulted in concrete action and said earlier meetings with officials did not lead to progress on starting ferry services.
The protest has also revived long-standing demands for a permanent bridge linking Chatham and Bambooflat. Commuters and residents have been seeking such a connection for over a decade, with the proposal formally acknowledged by the Union government in the mid-2010s and subsequent feasibility and planning exercises undertaken. However, the project has yet to move beyond preliminary stages, leaving ferry services as the primary and often strained mode of connectivity.
While welcoming the timeline announced by the administration, members of the movement said they would closely monitor the progress of the remaining work and stressed that ferry services should begin only after all safety-related infrastructure is in place.
The administration reiterated that ferry operations would commence only after installations are completed and trial runs are successfully conducted.
