Residents of Wandoor, Humfrygunj and Guptapara Gram Panchayats brought a range of civic issues before the district administration during a public grievance hearing camp held at the Community Hall of Wandoor Gram Panchayat on March 8. The camp served as a platform for villagers to directly present their concerns to officials from multiple departments as part of the administration’s ongoing outreach initiative to address local issues at the grassroots level.
The hearing camp witnessed the presence of several senior officials and representatives, including the Member of Parliament, the Deputy Commissioner of South Andaman, the Adhyaksh of the South Andaman Zilla Parishad, the Superintendent of Police of South Andaman, the Sub-Divisional Magistrate and the Additional District Magistrate of South Andaman. Departmental heads, engineers and local elected representatives from the three panchayats also attended the programme.
During the interaction, villagers raised issues related to revenue matters, drinking water supply, road connectivity, forest-related concerns and electricity services. Officials listened to the grievances and documented the concerns for further action. According to the district administration, the majority of complaints were linked to land records, access to basic infrastructure and improvement of public utilities in rural pockets of the region.
The Deputy Commissioner directed the Tehsildar and field-level officials from the concerned departments to undertake immediate spot inspections related to the grievances raised during the camp. Officials from the Forest Department, APWD, electricity wing and Panchayati Raj institutions were instructed to visit the identified locations and submit reports within two days. The administration indicated that follow-up action would be taken after the inspection reports are received and the concerned parties would be informed accordingly.
Earlier in the day, the Deputy Commissioner visited the health sub-centre at Wandoor before the grievance camp began. During the visit, it was observed that the approach road leading to the sub-centre was not easily accessible for patients. The difficulty was noted to be particularly significant for pregnant women and elderly residents who rely on the facility for medical assistance.
Following the inspection, the Chief Engineer of APWD was requested to explore the possibility of constructing a proper approach road to the health facility. Officials indicated that improved connectivity would help ensure easier access to healthcare services for residents in the surrounding areas.
The grievance camp recorded participation from villagers across the three gram panchayats who attended to raise both individual and community-level concerns. Local representatives, including Pradhans, Panchayat Samiti members and ward members, also participated and facilitated discussions between residents and departmental officials.
The initiative forms part of a continuing series of public grievance camps being conducted by the district administration to strengthen communication between government departments and the public. Through these camps, officials aim to address concerns directly at the village level and reduce delays in resolving local issues.
A similar outreach programme had been held a day earlier for residents of Sippighat and Calicut Gram Panchayats. With the Wandoor camp, the administration continued its effort to cover different panchayats across South Andaman to ensure that grievances from remote areas are heard and acted upon promptly.
Alongside the grievance hearing, a community wellness activity was also organized at the venue earlier in the morning. The District Health Society conducted a yoga session between 7 am and 8 am to promote health awareness among residents. The session saw participation from villagers, local representatives and health staff from the Primary Health Centre at Manglutan.
Officials from the district administration said such combined outreach efforts help strengthen community engagement while simultaneously promoting public health and responsive governance across rural areas of South Andaman.
