From Samir Acharya
Subject: ATR

8th January, 2003.
Dear all,
I have reasons to believe that our directorate of Tribal Welfare is
trying
to push a proposal to erect security walls on both sides of the stretch of
the ATR adjacent to the Jarawa habitant that was ordered to be closed by
the
Honble Supreme Court. It is, indeed, heartening to know that the
Director
with his two decades of rich Island experience, has atlast realized the
need
to keep the Jarawa isolated from the mainstream.

It is a pregnant idea. A wall to keep two groups of inquisitive people
keen
to meet each other, in the middle of no-where would need to be sturdy.
One
remembers that even the Berlin wall, a tank-proof monstrosity topped
with
electrified barbed wire, patrolled by guard dogs and machine-gun-totting
guards also could not really prevent escapes. Will the Administration
employ the newly raised India Reserve Battalion for patrolling?
I called the idea pregnant because it might give birth to many babies.
The
project envisages errection of a wall on both sides of the sixty
kilometers
stretch of ATR, a total of 120 kms. The present day scheduled rate for a
2.4 mtr high wall is Rs.4,500/- per linear mtr. The cost as per schedule
will come, therefore to 120x1000x4500/- or Rs. 54,00,00,000/-. Considering
the restrictions of time of work and the distance from Port Blair the
project might actually cost well over 100 crores. A bonanza for poor
cash-
starved contractors of Andamans. And ofcourse the sand miners. The local
people being so lazy, a large number of migrant labourers( preferably
displaced adivasis) would be brought in. They will not leave the Islands
after the work is over. They will then become forest encroachers, opening
up the avenue for one more round of eviction and award of rehabilitation
package, perhaps before a future election. We should not forget that for
many, there is a general election ahead even now!

But wait ! Are we not forgetting something? What will happen to the
Jarawa
tourists? Our tour operators? I strongly feel that the Directorate of
Tourism should propose a project for erecting a toughened glass tunnel,
half
a kilometer long, U shaped, within the Jarawa area with the two openings
terminating at two apertures on the wall. The tourists then would be able
to take a walk and gawk at the naked beauties ( just as the tourists see
marine life in Singapore) from a safe distance. The tunnel will be
hermetically sealed to prevent the tourists from infecting the savage
Jarawa
with civilized germs. Tourist dollars will continue to pour in. Island
tourism will prosper. At worst, should the Jarawas die, we can always
erect
lifelike plastic Jarawa statues, like the plastic coral reefs in Phuket
after the real ones died.


Do I get seconded by someone?

Perhaps there is hope in the fact that there is a change in guard at the
top of the A&N administration and that they will not fall for the games that
are being played out , and not fall for the gimmicks.
All the best

Samir.