News Analysis India

Tag: Lakshadweep

  • 93 former civil servants write to PM Modi, raise concerns over developments in Lakshadweep

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: A group of 93 former civil servants wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi Saturday, expressing “deep concern” over what they called were “disturbing developments” in the Union Territory of Lakshadweep in the name of “development”.

    They have urged the prime minister to ensure an appropriate development model, in consultation with the islanders with emphasis on access to safe and secure healthcare, education and just governance among others.

    Asserting that Lakshadweep occupies a unique place in India’s geographic and cultural diversity, the group highlighted drafts of three regulations introduced by P K Patel after assuming additional charge of Administrator of Lakshadweep in December 2020.

    Patel is also the Administrator of Dadra and Nagar Haveli, and Daman and Diu.

    Since taking charge, he has introduced drafts of the Lakshadweep Development Authority Regulation (LDAR), the Lakshadweep Prevention of Anti-Social Activities Regulation (commonly known as PASA or the Goonda Act elsewhere), and the Lakshadweep Animal Preservation Regulation (LAPR), as well as an amendment to the Lakshadweep Panchayat Regulations that have generated widespread anxiety on the island and the nation at large, they have said in the letter.

    “These drafts have been introduced without local consultation and are presently with the Ministry of Home Affairs, government of India for necessary approvals,” said the letter written by former civil servants under the aegis of Constitutional Conduct Group (CCG).

    A copy of the letter has been shared with Home Minister Amit Shah and Environment, Forest and Climate Change Minister Prakash Javadekar.

    Claiming that there has been no development in Lakshadweep for the past 70 years, the LDAR reflects a model of land and tourism development which includes resorts, hotels and beachfronts on the “Maldives model” unmindful of the differences between the two island groups in size, population, number of islands and their spread, it said.

    “We write to you today to register our deep concern over disturbing developments taking place in the pristine Union Territory (UT) of Lakshadweep in the name of ‘development’,” the letter said.

    Former National Security Adviser Shivshankar Menon, former Prasar Bharati CEO Jawhar Sircar, ex-Foreign Secretary Sujatha Singh, former Adviser to prime minister T K A Nair and former Chief Information Commissioner Wajahat Habibullah are among the 93 signatories.

    Lakshadweep is an ecologically sensitive coral archipelago located off the Malabar coast consisting of 36 islands (of which 10 are inhabited and one developed as a tourist resort) spread out over 32 sq.kms. in the Indian Ocean, with a Muslim majority population of around 65,000 that is matrilineal, largely egalitarian, and ethnically close to Kerala, from where it was ruled through much of its history, it said.

    Concerns over dispossession of land, predatory corporate development and destruction of the environment have been compounded by the draft PASA, a preventive detention regulation that enables the Administrator to detain any person for up to a year for common crimes (like anti-social behaviour, smuggling contraband drugs and liquor, involvement in immoral traffic, land grabbing, cyber-crimes, sexual offences or damaging the environment), the group said.

    “Other regulations proposed by the Administrator target food and dietary habits and religious injunctions of the local islanders, 96.5% of whom are Muslims,” it said.

    The LAPR will, if passed into law, effectively ban the killing of bovine animals and prohibit the consumption, storage, transport or sale of cattle meat in an island environment where there are inherent limits to livestock development, the letter said.

    No such prohibitions apply to several states in the North-East and even the state of Kerala next door, it said.

    A ban on the sale and consumption of alcohol in keeping with the religious sensitivities of the overwhelmingly Muslim population has been lifted, once again ostensibly to promote tourism, giving both the beef ban and lifting of prohibition on alcohol an avoidable communal colour in a sensitive maritime region where communal disharmony could harm national security, the letter said.

    The changes being proposed by the Lakshadweep Panchayat Regulation, 2021 for elections to gram panchayats that will disqualify candidates with more than two children from contesting seats for the gram panchayat too have been proposed without any local consultation or taking into account local sensitivities, it said.

    “Each of these measures smacks not of development but of alien and arbitrary policy making, in violation of established practices that respect the environment and society of Lakshadweep,” the letter said.

    Taken together, the actions and far-reaching proposals of the Administrator, without due consultation with the islanders, constitute an onslaught on the very fabric of Lakshadweep society, economy and landscape as if the islands were just a piece of real estate for tourists and tourism investors from the outside world, it said.

    ‘We urge that these measures be withdrawn forthwith, the UT be provided with a full-time, people-sensitive and responsive Administrator, and that an appropriate development model that emphasises access to safe and secure healthcare, education, just governance, food security and livelihood options linked to the ecosystem, in consultation with islanders, be put in place, building on the achievements thus far,” the letter said.

  • Complete shutdown in Lakshadweep extended by seven more days

    By PTI
    KOCHI: The Lakshadweep administration on Monday announced the extension of the complete shutdown for seven more days, beginning May 31, considering the rising number of COVID-19 cases in the islands.

    The complete shutdown was first announced on May 24 for a week. Lakshadweep District Collector S Asker Ali, in an order, also announced a night curfew in five islands, including Kiltan, Chetlath, Bitra, Kadmath and Agatti.

    He said the present situation made it necessary to regulate the movement of people, enhance testing capacity, ensure strict enforcement of prescribed containment strategies, focus on surveillance and strict observance of standard COVID-19 protocol to prevent further spread of the virus as per the latest guidelines of the Ministry of Home Affairs.

    Many essential services, including water supply, fire, electricity, police, health, disaster management, shipping, guest house, BSNL, people managing COVID-19, Indian Navy and Coast Guard have been exempted from the shutdown on the production of ID-card with COVID negative test report, the order said.

    “Non-compliance will be taken seriously by the authority and appropriate actions will be taken as per the relevant sections of the Disaster Management Act-2015 and Indian Penal Code,” it said.

    According to officials, there are 2,006 active cases in the islands. The Test Positivity Rate is comparatively high in Kavaratti, Kalpeni, Androth, Amini and Minicoy, they said.

    Authorities said the ‘corona curfew’ enforced in all islands with different timings and exemptions has become an effective tool in the overall containment strategies.

    Last week, the Kerala High Court had dismissed a plea challenging a single bench order in which the court accepted the Lakshadweep administration’s contentions in support of the revision of Standard Operation Procedure (SOP) in connection with the COVID-19 management in the islands.

    The single bench had dismissed a plea challenging the revised SOP issued on December 22 last year, which substituted the earlier mandatory institutional and home quarantine of all persons travelling to the island, with just a negative test report of RT-PCR, obtained 48 hours before the travel.

  • Island on the boil: Everything you need to know about ‘Save Lakshadweep’ campaign

    By Express News Service
    The residents of Lakshadweep and political parties have launched a #SaveLakshadweep campaign demanding the recall of administrator Praful Khoda Patel. The islanders allege that the reforms introduced by Patel, after he took over in December 2020, are detrimental to the traditional social, cultural and economic character of the Union territory. Opposition parties including the Congress allege that the unilateral decisions of the administrator will destroy the cultural heritage of Lakshadweep and affect people’s livelihoods. A look

    WHO IS PRAFUL K PATEL?

    Praful Khoda Patel, who is the administrator of the Union Territory of Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu, was given the additional charge of Lakshadweep in December following the death of then administrator Dineshwar Sharma. Praful is a BJP leader from Gujarat and had served as the Minister of State for Home in the Narendra Modi-led state government in Gujarat for two years

    1. Prohibition of slaughter without certificate from competent authorityPraful Patel has proposed the Lakshadweep Animal Preservation Regulation, 2021, which bans slaughter of the cow, calf, bull and bullocks. Animals should be slaughtered only at places specified for the purpose. The sale and purchase of beef and beef products are banned under the proposed law. Persons who slaughter animals without a certificate are liable to be punished with imprisonment extending to one year and a fine of up to Rs 10,000. Besides, in February, mutton and chicken were removed from schools’ midday meal menus. Children had been provided nonvegetarian meals at Anganwadis till then

    2. Land regulationsThe draft Lakshadweep Development Authority Regulation proposes changes in the existing land ownership and usage by giving sweeping, arbitrary and unchecked powers to the government to directly interfere with the islanders’ right to possess and retain their property. It empowers the government to pick any land for development activities Activities including building, engineering, mining, quarrying and other operations have been listed under development activities

    3. Prevention of Anti-Social Activities Act, 2021The proposed law gives powers to detain a person without any public disclosure for a period of up to one year. Locals fear that bill will pave the way for detention without a trial and say that such a harsh law is not required. The island has a negligible crime rate, all the more reason why the law is suspect

    4. Bar on election contestThe draft Lakshadweep Panchayat Regulation, 2021 says if a resident has more than two children, he/she cannot contest a panchayat election. “No person who has more than two children shall be a member of a gram panchayat or continue as such…” the draft text of the regulation says

    5. Plan to allow sale of liquorThe administrator allowed sale of liquor at hotels and resorts in three islands in the name of tourism promotion. The Muslim majority island territory has remained a nonalcoholic zone for decades. Liquorsale was allowed only in Bangaram islands till now. Liquor was not allowed in other islands and travellers were not allowed to carry liquor

    6. Winding up of dairy farmsDairy farms operated by the Animal Husbandry department have been shut down. On May 21, dairy farms of the local government were also ordered shut; all animals are to be auctioned by May 31

    7. Coastal regulationThe island administration has demolished huts erected by fishermen along the coastline alleging violation of Coastal Regulation Zone and Coast Guard Act. These sheds were built by fisherfolk to keep their nets and fishing gear. The sheds were constructed under an exemption provided to the fisherfolk

    8.Cargo diverted to MangaluruThe administration has diverted freight transit to Mangaluru, ending the trade ties between the islands and Kerala. The islanders depend on ports of Beypore and Kochi for logistics and medical facilities

    9. Termination of services of employeesServices of hundreds of contract labourers working under various departments of the Union territory have been terminated. Casual and contractual workers of various government offices have been dismissed. The recruitment rules will be reviewed where the educational qualifications do not match the latest developments

    10.Change in SOP for emergency evacuationThe administration has changed the standard operating procedure for emergency evacuation of patients. As per the order, all uncomplicated orthopaedic cases including hip fracture should be sent by ship. Medical officer should ensure that no cases other than emergency one are referred to for transfer by special sortie helicopter

    11. Covid spreadLakshadweep had remained a Covid-19 green zone during the first wave of the pandemic, with the first case being reported only on January 18, 2021. Protesters allege that the changes in quarantine andtravel rules effected by the thennew administrator led to rapid spread of the coronavirus disease.The islands have so far reported 7,111 cases, of which 2,320 are active. As many as 26 people havedied due to the disease

    WHAT’S HAPPENING NOW

    The Lakshadweep administration has called an all-party meeting on May 27 to discuss the issues raised by residents. Representatives of the Congress, NCP and BJP will attend the meeting, which will be held online

    The Congress has written to President Ram Nath Kovind seeking his intervention in recalling Patel

    People of Lakshdweep have approached United Nations Secretary General António Guterres, as wellas the United Nation’s Permanent Forum for Indigenous Issues, against the actions of the new administrator

    #SaveLakshadweep campaign has been trending on social media since May 23. Many prominent personalities and celebrities have come forward in extending their support to the campaign

  • Lakshadweep administrator’s decisions ‘irrational’, says Sharad Pawar; seeks PM Narendra Modi’s intervention

    By PTI
    MUMBAI: NCP president Sharad Pawar on Wednesday criticised the Lakshadweep administrator over his decisions, saying that they would lead to destruction of traditional means of livelihood and unique culture of the island.

    In a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Pawar sought his intervention, and said the decisions taken by the administrator were ‘unwarranted and irrational’.

    Praful Khoda Patel, the administrator of Daman and Diu, was in December last year given the additional charge of Lakshadweep.

    His new regulations, including Prevention of Anti-Social Activities Regulation 2021, Lakshadweep Animal Preservation Regulation 2021 and changing of COVID 19 SoPs, under which RT-PCR test was made mandatory for outsiders, have been opposed.

    “These decisions taken by the Lakshadweep administrator would lead to destruction of traditional means of livelihood and the unique culture of Lakshadweep. It has already resulted in a huge unrest and protest,” Pawar said.

    The former Union minister demanded that the orders and decisions taken by the incumbent authority of Lakshadweep administration be re-examined and necessary directions be passed to the Lakshadweep administration to withdraw the unreasonable and unwarranted orders.

    The appointment of a new administrator, who works in close co-operation with people’s representatives and takes a holistic approach to work with the native people, will be highly appreciated, he said in the letter.

    Pawar sought the prime minister’s intervention to resolve the crisis.

    The NCP chief also highlighted that the issues raised by his party MP Mohammed Faisal on the decisions of the administrator, and sought the PM’s intervention.

    Earlier in the day, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi threw his weight behind the people of Lakshadweep as he accused the “ignorant bigots in power” of destroying the islands.

    His statement came a day after the Congress demanded the immediate removal of Lakshadweep administrator, alleging he is not only destroying the peace and culture of the islands, but also “harassing” the people by imposing arbitrary restrictions.

    The Congress has also alleged that the administrator is allowing liquor on the islands, which is prohibited till now, and has brought in the Prevention of Anti-Social Activity (PASA) Act with the objective of harassing locals, besides taking away powers of panchayats and is carrying out demolitions under new provisions brought in by him.