dear all
as a journalist, who have covered andamans....i wholeheartedly agree to what Mr
Acharya says.....he is possibly the only person in that archipelago who seems to
understand the importance of the environental and ecological aspects of the
islands.....and it's high time the government understood....andamans is a prize
possession....both from the tourism angle and more importantly, from an
ecological standpoint....but the government's callousness is
undertstood---ANDAMANS HARDLY CONTRIBUTES TO OUR REVENUE FLOW....BUT JUST TO
REMIND PEOPLE WHO MATTERS, AT ONE TIME, NETHIER DID PHUKET AND BALI
CHEERS
SUMAN
Pankaj <pankaj@...> wrote:

29th December, 2003.


Dear All,

I have lived in Andamans since 1967. I work with the Society for A & N
Ecology, a petitioner in the SC case and the intervener in Shyamoli Ganguly
vs. Union of India case on the Jarawa matter in which the Calcutta HC had
constituted an Expert Committee, the report of which awaits deliberation in
a symposium.

Let me share with you an unfortunate incident.

On 27th December, in the morning, a nine year old Jarawa girl Chahowa was
knocked down by a Maruti Van on the Andaman Trunk Road near Potatang
(between Jirkatang No. 2 and Middle Strait Jetty). The girl was picking up
some foodstuff thrown on the road by the tourists when the van behind rushed
on and hit her. The driver of the van rushed off without stopping. The
girl had sustained head and waist injury. She was brought to GB Pant
Hospital and is now undergoing treatment. Her condition is stated to be
serious.


Certain questions come to ones mind.

The Administration had repeatedly announced an end to Jarawa Tourism, but
why is still continuing? The distribution of food and other not so benign
things by the tourists and frequent interaction between the Jarawa and the
tourists continue unabated.

The number of accidents on the ATR involving Jarawas is on the rise. During
2003, a Jarawa youth was seriously injured when a truck belonging to a
prominent local contractor toppled on the ATR inside the tribal reserve. The
truck did not have the necessary permit to enter the tribal reserve! In
another incident, a Jarawa youth was seriously injured while pillion
riding on the motorbike of an AAJVS official. After the first incident, the
Jarawa staged a protest march; in full battledress with torches in their
hand. Every one including the police was scared.

Yesterday, on 28th morning, the Police halted all traffic at Middle Straight
check post, pulled out all the drivers and held on identification parade to
locate the hit-and-run culprit. A group of Jarawa were brought in to
identify the driver. But in vain.

Another side of the Jarawa tourism coin is the state-sponsored one. Under
this anyone considered to be a VIP by Administrations standards is
conducted officially to a Jarawa camp, complete with the VIPs friends,
relatives, camera and gifts, accompanied by a local official and a
policeman. In Andamans, laws are for private citizens (barring a few
privileged ones). Laws are not applicable to the Olympians. To prove
this rule, yesterday, on 28th December, a Qualis No. AN 01 B 0450 belonging
to a tour operator bearing the Legend on Govt. of India duty carried a
few official tourists to a Jarawa camp on ATR, escorted by two policemen.
One remembers the Hindustantimes.com report that the former Chief Secretary,
Mr. Pradeep Singh had conducted his foreign guest in grant style in two
ships to the Sentinel Island. The tradition still continues.

It is another matter that the Honble SC had once upon a time ordered the
closure of the ATR. Honble Calcutta High Court had ordered constitution
of an Expert Committee whose report submitted in July, 2003 was to be
deliberated upon in Seminars to be organized by the Govt. after giving wide
publicity within six months. The six months a deadline is already over.
There is not even a whisper of any proposed Seminar yet.

But if the Supreme Court deadline can be stretched six times, the High
Court deadlines could remain as elusive as the horizon.

Samir Acharya







C/o Kalpavriksh
Apt. 5, Sri Dutta Krupa
908 Deccan Gymkhana,
Pune 411004
Tel: 020 - 25654239 / 25675450
Fax: 25654239




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