Tag: save lakshadweep

Crisis in LAKSHADWEEP( A union territory)

There were many hashtags trending, regarding the Lakshadweep issue on twitter and Lakshadweep has been spotted on several social platforms for the past days. Some were wondering what was happening in Lakshadweep and what has triggered the ongoing hassle to protect the island from social and political turmoil and imminent ecological demolition. In brief let us see what has pushed Lakshadweep into such a devastating state.

Lakshadweep is the India’s smallest Union Territory consisting a chain of 36 individual islands located in the Arabian Sea about 400 km from the city of Kochi with an area of 32 sq km. It comprises of 12 atolls, three reefs, five submerged banks and ten inhabited islands. The inhabited islands have a population of nearly 64,473 people according to the 2011 census. Culturally and socially the inlands’ are close to Kerala and the people over there speak a dialect of Malayalam with the influence of Arabic similar to Arabi Malayalam, in the Minicoy island which is close to the Maldives the language spoken is Mahl. Lakshadweep is known for its exotic and alluring beaches and the exuberant green landscape. In Malayalam and Sanskrit the word Lakshadweep means ‘a hundred thousand islands.’ When some of the beaches in the country are swamped with air pollution, plastics and wastes, it is pertinent to mention that the natural landscapes, the heavenly atmosphere, the glittering sea, the peace living people, the sandy shores, abundance of flora and fauna and the deprivation of a rushed and hasty lifestyle enhances the charisma of Lakshadweep. It certainly holds the the least position in crime rate of the country and one of the lowest, globally as well. As per the national crime records bureau (2019) report the island had zero cases of major crimes such as rape, murder, kidnapping and dacoity. The inhabitants take pride in their traditional culture while maintaining prominent environmental measure to safeguard the island. We can describe it as a small heaven on earth for its resources and wealth. It is a restricted territory and one requires an entry permit issued by the Lakshadweep Administration to visit the islands because 94% of the population are scheduled tribes.

The islands are protected under special provisions where alcohol and liquor sales are not permitted, and the non residents cannot buy any land. As Lakshadweep is a union Territory it doesn’t have a formal Chief Minister as other states do but for the administration and monitorization an administrator like an IAS or IPS officer would be appointed by the President. The trouble began after the death of Dineshwar Sharma, the former Administrator of Lakshadweep and once Praful Khoda Patel took over charge as the new administrator. He was a former BJP leader and the former Home Minister of Gujarat. After Praful Khoda Patel took charge, he came up with many drafts of several reforms such as the Lakshadweep Animal preservation regulation that bans slaughter of cows,bulls and bullocks( This proposal was fiercely opposed alleging that Patel is implementing the RSS’s agenda of beef ban) Lakshadweep prevention of Anti-Social Activities Regulation, Lakshadweep Development Authority Regulation( The draft bill is been widely resented with protestors alleging this law is aimed at serving ”Real estate interests” and usurping the small land holdings of the people) and amendment to the Lakshadweep Panchayat Staff rules(The draft proposed that if a resident has more than two children he/she cannot contest a panchayat election). The draft regulation defines development as the carrying out of building, mining, quarrying or other operations so it becomes apparent that the regulations make it very easy for the government to take over land of any person in the garb of development. When the nurses and health care workers protested for the salary hike everybody were refrained form their jobs and arrested. The Muslim majority island territory has remained a non alcoholic zone for decades but there was another draft framed that allowed sale of liquor at hotels and resorts in the name of tourist promotion.

The development authority regulation appears to be quite a controversial reform and hundreds of the islands’ residents have written to the administration opposing it. They expressed their intimidation that Patel’s motive was to destroy traditional and the cultural diversity of the people of Lakshadweep. Praful Patel was involved in many controversial circumstances. To everyone’s astonishment, when the whole world was inflicted by corona, Lakshadweep had no cases of Corona till last December. But after Patel took charge he pronounced that the people who tested negative for Corona within 48 hours can arrive to Lakshadweep and opened the gate for outsiders. But today Lakshadweep has over 7000 cases of covid-19 and corona is been spreading. Services of hundreds of contract laborers working under various departments of the Union Territory have been terminated and workers of various government offices have been dismissed. These are some of the woeful situations that the Lakshadweep is into and has got trapped in a contentious and autocratic administration. Development of a territory is most welcomed by the people but it should not ruin the resources and the wealth of the space.

Protest’s surfacing in Lakshadweep after new Govt.laws

Located in the Arabian sea, Lakshadweep Island is the only part of India where nature has been existing in its purest form, with no traces of exploitation.
The archipelago is a collection of 36 islands, of which 10 are inhabited. Located on the southwestern coast of the Indian peninsula the island has just a population of 65,000 people, thus being the smallest among Union Territories(UT).

Amid the beautiful wilderness, harmony among the people, and well-balanced ecology, resentments among the people due to the introduction of new laws have been surfacing lately.
Protests of the hashtag “Save Lakshadweep” are echoing on social media.

A Brief Backdrop:


Lakshadweep politically has no Legislative Assembly or a Chief Minister. The entire administration of the island is divided into 3 levels-
* Lok Sabha has 1 Member of Parliament
* Local self-government: Panchayats
* The President of India appoints an Administrator for governance.

The administrators of Lakshadweep have always been bureaucrats. In 2020, it was Dineshwar Sharma, an IPS officer.
Unfortunately, on 4 December 2020, he passed away.
This was the time when entanglement started in the affairs.
After the death of Dineshwar Sharma, no bureaucrat was appointed as the administrator, rather the strings of the governance were passed to the hands of a politician. This person was Praful Khoda Patel, a right-wing politician of the running Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government.

The Resentment:


Since the new administrator came to the seat, Patel put forward a maverick set of laws without consulting the locally elected representatives of this Muslim-majority island. These laws have shattered the tranquility of the island and immersed it under protests and chaos.
The new algorithm of laws is being widely agitated upon. People claim that these laws endanger their livelihoods, land ownership, culture, and even the biodiversity of the tropical islands.

Typically the administrators of the island maintain their relationships with the local leaders for smooth governance. However, in the past few months, the people have raised voices against this new authoritarian administrator.

The Authoritarian approaches of Praful Khoda Patel:

Land Grab-


The administrator Praful Khoda Patel introduced the Lakshadweep Development Authority Regulation 2021, where the government is empowered to take over the lands from the residents for constructing highways, railways, or infrastructure.
The islanders view this as a land grab by giant corporates. This would also put a huge strain on the ecology and biodiversity of the area.

Weakened the democratic voting rights-


It is an old dream of the Lakshadweep inhabitants to have statehood and a Chief Minister like Goa.
They even do not have the right to elect their administrator.
keeping these besides, the poor islanders just have the shaky right to elect their MP and officials only at the Panchayat level.

Things do not stop here, the new administration under Praful Khoda Patel intruded in the local government and drained powers of the Panchayat from 5 different areas, namely- education, healthcare, agriculture, animal husbandry, and fisheries.

Further, Panchayat election regulation has been introduced declaring people having more than 2 children ineligible to contest elections.

Covid threat:


When the country was struggling hard from the Covid spell, Lakshadweep was the only Union Territory to be free of Covid. This was because until December Standard Operating Procedure to prevent COVID-19 was being strictly followed. Under this SOP, people coming from outside were mandated to have a negative RT-PCR test followed by a 14-day quarantine. People supported it and that is why Lakshadweep was Covid free.
Unfortunately, the first Covid case was reported on 18 January, 8 days after the SOP was removed by the new administrator.
The cases skyrocketed due to the island’s small area and dense population along with a not-so-modern healthcare system.

Unjustified laws:


Patel’s Anti-Social Activities Regulation Bill 2021 or Goonda Act further created discontentment among the inhabitants. This act empowers to detain anyone without public disclosure for up to a year.

This law would not be a fight against criminals because Lakshadweep already has the lowest crime rate in India. Rather it is the clear manifestation of authoritarian rule and sharply against the law of natural justice.
The application of this unjust law would be used to brand anyone who protested as a criminal.
The islanders allege that this law would be used by their administrator against those who criticize his decisions and protest his rule.

Liquor permit and beef ban:


Liquor and alcohol were banned in the inhabited resorts of Lakshadweep for a long time due to the Muslim majority and was allowed only at resorts on the uninhabited island. Praful K. Patel reversed the situation. He lifted the ban and permitted opening bars and shops, claiming this will boost tourism on the island.

Lakshadweep Animal Preservation and Regulation 2021 further aggravated people’s anger.
Praful K. Patel imposed a strict ban on the sale, or buy of beef or beef products in any form anywhere in the Muslim-majority islands. Anyone found violating the law would be imprisoned for up to 10 years.

The people of the island are Muslim majority and have a Malayali culture where beef consumption is followed traditionally and imposing something opposite of their culture is an intrusion.

Neighbouring Kerala state’s Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and KC Venugopal, a Congress member of parliament, have also opposed Patel’s decisions. Vijayan says “Patel’s actions pose a grave threat to the life and culture of the people of Lakshadweep”.