Much has been said and rightly so about the Nicobar
Islands and the diverse issues connected with the
housing. I would like to add something based on my
experience and work with the Ongees of Little
Andamans.
After tsunami it was proposed to set the Ongees back
in the old settlements of Dugong Creek and South Bay,
both locations close to the coastline and badly
affected. After much consultation with the Ongees on
issue of the tsunami that was published (“When land
turned water”), I spent considerable time in using the
Ongee vernacular architecture and cultural sensibility
to what a living space is a prototype of traditional
Ongee house (koraley) was built at Raj Niwas Port
Blair. As the design incorporated some structural
principles of contemporary times and needs to adjust
with cultural requirements a team of Ongees were
involved in making this proto type (that still stands
on the grounds of the Raj Niwas Port Blair). It was a
design created and modified by designers,
anthropologist and Ongee community representatives. It
was a concept derived from the Ongees and built using
the available “traditional” technology. Certain number
of Forest department people also cooperated and helped
in making this project possible.
In spite of the resistance with in the
administration’s department that wanted to make large
profits by repairing and high maintenance cost to be
perpetuated by re-doing the standard house on stilts
at Dugong Creek new modified ‘Traditional house” for
the Ongee community was built by the AAJVS, Forest
Department and above all the Ongees.
What is paradoxical is that the various ‘Sahibs’ and
‘Babus’ felt that not only they missed out in trying
to project themselves as the major sympathizers and
deriving economic benefits from the undertaking of the
repair work and re installing the culturally and
environmentally in appropriate houses. So the Ongees
have been lured back into the old repaired houses by
symbolic distribution of the pressure-cookers, cycles
and water purifying instruments that need piped water.
All these are promised and not thought out aspects of
living for the Ongees.
Aspects within the culture that people regard as
traditional requirements, as in case of North Indian
village- a choupal, or place for child birth in
Nicobarese village or a place to congregate for men
Obanaley among the Ongees are a structuring principle
for space in which the practitioners of a culture
reside and create their own sense of ‘landscape and
design to live in and live with’. Cycles for driving
in the forest for Ongees is a fantasy, water purifiers
are mainly for the account books, so that all that
could be done after tsunami was justifiable to meet
the work requirements set by the politicians and
administration. Who really gives any real concern to
what the community really can build without various
Sarkari departments? My experience with the Ongees has
taught me many things, but one thing I have been
reinforced in my work is that We have to first derive
the notion of “Tradition” from the tradition itself!
Among Ongees, housing after tsunami, it was intended
as an noble exercise and partly accomplished but the
power and authority failed to grant the culture’s own
capacity to build and facilitate that capacity. In
stead the idea of what they think as traditional
settlement was made more attractive and economically
and practically more suitable to them.
Vishvajit Pandya.

--- Alkavivek <alkavivek@...> wrote:

> Actually had been thinking of writing on proposed
> post tsunami housing
> for Andamans and Nicobar Islands in this forum for
> quite some time.
> Thanks, Rauf. It was good that we could talk to you
> before me and
> Dharmesh visited the islands to study the housing
> scenario there.
>
> The government is constructing about 9700 houses on
> these islands at
> the cost of approx. 1200 crore. About 7000 are being
> constructed by
> CPWD and about 1800 by APWD. NGOs are constructing
> 750 houses. CPWD
> has contracted two companies from mainland. Each
> house is costing
> about 6.5 lacs at South Andaman, 10.5 lacs at Car
> Nicobar to 12.5 lacs
> at Nancowry.
>
> The government engineers are arguing that they are
> minimising the use
> of concrete by importing steel frame structures and
> hence also
> minimising loss of forest wood. The wooden planks
> are being put on the
> exterior face of walls as per the popular demand.
> Bamboo board will be
> put inside for better insulation and thermal
> comfort. nicobarese will
> get houses on steel stilts and others on ground.This
> is official side
> of story.
>
> Ofcourse the houses are not designed in the
> traditional way. Also the
> sites have not been selected in consultation but as
> per convenience of
> construction by outside agencies. Houses will be
> allotted only after
> these have been constructed. How the quality control
> will be ensured?
> No community member or tribal seems to have seen
> what sort of houses
> they are going to get. CPWD has built a model house
> at CPWD office in
> besant nagar, Chennai.
>
> People seem to be tired of waiting and are shocked
> to learn about the
> costs at which the houses are being built.
>
> We would like to get view of the forum members on
> resource
> availability for traditional type of houses, if
> tribals are allowed to
> build on their own. What is the perspective of
> environmental laws on
> this? Any suggested article?
>
> Also we learnt that the house ownership titles will
> not be given to
> the families. Why so? Are there any legal
> restrictions in islands? We
> could not get very clear answer from local
> officials.
>
>
> Vivek Rawal
>
>
>
> --- In andamanicobar@..., Rauf Ali
> <raufie05@y...> wrote:
> >
> > On this forum the issue of what sorts of houses
> were
> > to be built in the Nicobars has been raised. Two
> > points raised were that concrete had to be avoided
> and
> > wood used, and that community houses should be
> built.
> > No decision seemed to be taken.
> >
> > I hear now that about 7000 houses have been
> > sanctioned. The design is external to the islands.
> The
> > plinth area will be build by local contractors,
> using
> > local sand. The superstructure will all be
> imported
> > from the mainland. Local sources say that Rs. 300
> > crore contracts have been given to two firms, from
> > Delhi. Each house will cost Rs. 8-10 lakhs: this
> is
> > expected to go up to between 10-15 lakhs. There
> has
> > been no consultation with the communities
> concerned
> > about what kind of housing is required. I'm told
> that
> > even the NGOs involved with rehabilitation have
> not
> > consulted the communities.
> >
> > Its obvious that using local wooden materials and
> > allowing the families to build themselves the
> > structures they choose would bring the cost down
> to
> > about half of this and save the beach sand from
> being
> > used.
> >
> > Also, why the rush to crisscross the hills of the
> > Nicobars with roads? Surely, good sense would
> suggest
> > a heavier use of boats?
> >
> > Would somebody in Delhi care to write a RTI
> letter to
> > the ministry concerned, whichever it is? On why
> this
> > decision was taken in such haste, and why the
> > environmental objections were ignored?
> >
> > Rauf
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
>
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