Governance

Repeal regulations in Lakshadweep immediately: Civil society

Civil society organisations call for immediate recall of Lakshadweep administrator Praful Khoda Patel

 
By Shagun
Published: Sunday 13 June 2021
Photo: Wikimedia

Members of 70 civil society organisations have called for an immediate repeal of the “destructive legal and administrative” regulations in Lakshadweep proposed by the Union Territory administrator Praful Khoda Patel.

Vikalp Sangam, a platform with 70 civil society organisations as members, has said the proposed measures have “irreversible ecological, social and cultural ramifications” on the inhabitants of the rich and fragile island ecosystem.  

Ashish Kothari, one of the co-founders of Vikalp Sangam, said:

We call for the repeal of the regressive legal and administrative measures, the immediate recall of Mr. Patel and a robust process of consultation to be initiated in the islands to create a development plan that is in alignment with the ecological and cultural ethos of local communities.

The demands include immediately withdrawing Patel and replacing him with an IAS officer as was the case earlier and scrapping plans for “development” of Lakshadweep for high-end tourism like the Maldives.

They also include an impact assessment of social and environmental aspects of the proposed ‘development initiatives’, with transparent public hearings and consultations that involve local people, as well as others who have been working for conservation and people’s livelihoods in the region.

Over the last few days, Lakshadweep has been simmering in protest over new regulations which are seen by locals as anti-people and a threat to their livelihood.

On June 12, 2021 about 15 Bharatiya Janata Party leaders and workers in Lakshadweep resigned from the party after a sedition case was filed against filmmaker Aisha Sultana over her alleged statements against Patel during a discussion on a Malayalam news channel.

The proposed regulations include powers to remove or relocate islanders from their property for town planning or development or declare land to be a “planning area”, allowing the administration to detain any person without trial for up to a year.

They also include taking away the powers of local self-governments or panchayati raj institutions, relaxing alcohol restrictions and novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) quarantine measures and a ban on beef, among others.

“Lakshadweep is a peaceful territory with one of the lowest crime and poverty rates in India. The land rights of local communities are secure, and the age-old occupations of fisheries, small-scale farming and related crafts have helped developed identities that are deeply intertwined with nature,” the statement by Vikalp Sangam said.

The undemocratic plan for ‘development’ of the islands would result in the blatant violation of these rights and identity and of constitutional safeguards as also laws such as the Biological Diversity Act, 2002, it added.

The plans for on-shore and off-shore development of Lakshadweep for luxury tourism and to transform capital Kavaratti into a ‘smart city’ were rightly opposed by local communities for failing to recognise the scarce availability of land and fresh water, it noted.

“As a predominantly Muslim community, they also fear the forced assimilation with mainland India’s norms. This assault by the current regime is in line with its attempts to push majoritarianism and singular religious following in India,” it said.

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