Serendipity : Musings of an Islander

A Curious Case of Selective Compliance and Deviation from the Approved Policy on Fare Revision One order, one rate, and eleven years of fare hikes that don't add up. By the policy's own arithmetic, the two-wheeler ferry fare that should have been ₹33 today stands fixed at ₹65 — 97% above what the approval permits. That deviation is not a rounding error. Not an inflation adjustment. It is the story. So is the silence that followed every attempt to have that story heard. By Debkumar Bhadra   In administrative and legal parlance, an umbrella order is one that covers a broad area uniformly, bringing multiple sectors, categories, and classes within the ambit of a single directive. When the Andaman & Nicobar Administration issued Letter No. 5-1/2010-TR(PF) in February 2015, authorising a uniform annual upward fare revision of 5% across all sectors and classes of DSS-operated vessels, it issued exactly what fits into that definition of an umbrella order. One directive. One rate....

A Decade of Rising Ferry Fares, Declining Services : Andaman & Nicobar’s Not-So-Funny April 1 Ritual By Debkumar Bhadra Every year on the  1st of April , the world observes April Fool’s Day—a day associated with harmless pranks and laughter. But for commuters in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, the date over the past decade has evoked anxiety rather than amusement. This is because ferry fares unfailingly rise on this day, affecting local economy and the cost of living. This article examines the pattern of fare revision during the past 10 years, including administrative policy framework and the systemic inefficiencies, unravelling the gap between approved norms and actual implementation. The irony is becoming increasingly difficult to ignore. When fare revision takes effect unfailingly on a date globally associated with playful deception, it raises an uncomfortable question. Is the timing chosen a mere coincidence or a carefully chosen date? A closer look reveals not just the ...