Parl standing committee on chemicals and fertilisers visits Andamans

A team of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Chemicals and Fertilisers arrived here on Tuesday on a four-day visit to Andaman and Nicobar Islands, officials said.

The team is headed by Lok Sabha MP CN Annadurai and comprises Arun Kumar Sagar, Sanjeev Kumar Singari, Indra Hang Subba, GC Chandrashekhar, and Vijay Pal Singh Tomar, among others.

After their arrival, the team members visited the National Memorial Cellular Jail and paid tributes to freedom fighters.

Later, they went to Swaraj Dweep (formerly Havelock Island) and held discussions with representatives of the Department of Chemicals and Petrochemicals on the safe usage of insecticides and pesticides in the archipelago.

On Wednesday, the panel members will hold meetings with officials of the Department of Fertilisers, Madras Fertiliser Limited (MFL) and Fertilisers and Chemicals Travancore Limited (FACT) on the availability and distribution of fertilisers in the Union territory.

They will also hold discussions with representatives of the Department of Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices Bureau of India (PMB) on the implementation of Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi Pariyojana (PMBJP) in the islands.

On Thursday, the committee members will witness a light and sound show at the National Memorial Cellular Jail, and will leave the archipelago on Friday.