PORT BLAIR: Cyclone Mora, which is presently only a deep depression, has already left hundreds of tourists stranded in Havelock Island.
Due to a heavy swell in the sea around the Andaman Islands and bad weather, all ferries to Havelock Island from Port Blair were suspended on Saturday leaving nearly 1,500 tourists stranded.
Sources said that out of these nearly 1,500 tourists nearly 100 had their flight on Saturday for mainland India from Port Blair International Airport, which they had to miss.
Such change in plan is causing great disappointments for tourists as tour operators are complaining that hotel owners of Havelock are neither giving rooms back to tourists, who checked out nor are they returning money for the tourists who were schedule to reach Havelock.
“If such practice is repeated by hotel owners of Havelock during the crisis, it will bring bad name for Andaman tourism,” Javed, a local tour operator of Andaman and Joint Secretary of Andaman Association of Tour Operators (AATO) told TNIE.
During Vardha Cyclone too in 2016 tourists were stuck in Havelock Island, giving negative publicity to Andaman Tourism in national media but it seems the local administration has learnt nothing.
As per Indian Meteorological Department the cyclone, if formed, will miss Andaman and head towards Myanmar but the cyclonic formation will bring heavy rain till Sunday.
“The system will enter Myanmar on 17 forenoon, till then Andaman will get heavy rainfall with winds at nearly 70 kmph,” said S Bandhopadhay, scientist B, IMD Port Blair said.
Meanwhile, Andaman and Nicobar administration has advised all fishermen not to venture into sea along the Andaman Islands during the next 48 hours. Fishermen out at sea are advised to return to the coast. The general public is advised to take precautionary measures.