loa issue 27 - 17 feb 2012 - colour

8/2/2019 LOA Issue 27 - 17 Feb 2012 - Colour

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VOL: 35 n ISSUE: 27 n FRIDAY n 17 FEBRUARY

PORT BLAIR n Rs. 5.00 n PAGES 8 n RNI No. 2848

POSTAL REGN NO. PBLRNP/08/2008-2

www.lightofandamans.blogspot

ROHINGYAS

ENDLESSWAITFORREPATRIATION

About 400 desperate sourescued from the seas an

detained in a DistresCamp, for almost thre

years at Port Blair, dream

for a free life andreunion with thefamilies. Abandoned b

both Myanmar anBangladesh, their fat

hangs in balance, with aindecisive governmen

policy and a sluggish pacof repatriation

GREENPEACEEXPOSES PIRATE

FISHING OFFANDAMAN COAST


2/8

2 |cover|STORY THE LIGHT OF ANDAMANS, Port Blair 17 FEBRUARY 2

During its ongoing monthlong expedition to highlightthe urgent need for marine

conservation in India, activistsfrom the Greenpeace ship MVEsperanza encountered fourBurmese vessels fishing illegallyin the Indian economic exclusivezone (EEZ) off the AndamanIslands coast on 19 Feb 2012. Thevessels did not have proper regis-tration documents or a clearly dis-played name. Their catch consist-

ed of mainly shark and some yel-low fin tuna. All four vessels left

for Burmese waters as soon as theEsperanza caught up with themand contacted them.

Indian law only permits Indianvessels in its national waters andthe EEZ. The abundant presenceof illegal foreign vessels is againproof of the gaping loopholes inthe failing Indian governance oftheir marine waters. Greenpeacecalled on the Indian Coast Guardsto investigate these illegally oper-ating fishing vessels and will con-

tinue to engage with them toredress the situation.

India's marine managementhas been riddled with irregulari-ties and poor enforcement whichhas resulted in overfishing andfurther degradation of India'soceans. This not only leads to

spread of illegal and unsustain-able fishing practices in the

Indian EEZ , but also loss of liveli-hoods for the Indian fishermensince the fish caught by the for-eign vessels goes unreported andunaccounted for. The whole ofFebruary, the biggest and fastest

Greenpeace ship investigates thethreats posed to our oceans and

There are about 79 fishing ves-sels operating in the IndianEEZ on Letter of Permit from

Ministry of Agriculture. Howeverthe government is not divulgingdetails about their catch profile,said Areeba Hamid OceansCampaigner, Greenpeace Indiaspeaking to the media onboardMV Esperanza, the iconic cam-paigning ship of Greenpeace,docked at Port Blair last week.

Earlier speaking to the mediaSanjiv Gopalan said that theychose Andaman and NicobarIslands to launch the campaign, asthese Islands have a major role asfar as India's EEZ is concerned. Healso said that it will send a clear

message to the policymakers inmainland to have a perspectiveabout the Island territory.

On her second visit to India, theEsperanza through a month longtour will highlight the impacts ofillegal and destructive fishingpractices in the Indian EEZ andbuild public support for effectivemanagement measures to protectIndia's staggering marine biodi-versity. The tour of the Esperanzastarts at Port Blair and will con-clude at Chennai in early March,2012. On its arrival at Chennai,the vessel and campaign will pub-licly share the findings emergingfrom the research undertakentaken at sea.

The fastest in the Greenpeacefleet of vessels, the ship has beenre-designed in as environmental-ly-friendly way as possible.Reflective of Greenpeace's globalpresence and multi-culturalstanding, the Esperanza sails intoIndia with a crew of 17, from over10 nationalities, includingIndians.

The arrival of the ship also coin-cides with Greenpeace India'srecently launched campaign tostop illegal and industrial fishingin India's EEZ. Commenting onthe campaign and the role of theship, Areeba Hamid, OceansCampaigner, Greenpeace Indiasaid "India's seas are being exploit-

Industrial Fishing Needs tobe Regulated: GreenpeaceGP Flagship MV Esperanza docks at Port Blair

ed by illegal and destructiveindustrial fishing practices. Fishstocks are depleting, livelihoodsecurities of hundreds of thou-sands of coastal communities areat threat and marine ecosystemsare systematically being degrad-ed. The Esperanza will be centralto our campaign, bringing therealities of threats out at sea backto the shores."

2012 is a key year for theOceans as countries have setthemselves a deadline to establisha global network of marine pro-tected areas, especially in the highseas. The 20th anniversary of theRio Summit in June 2012 at

Brazil, followed by the ElevConference of Parties (COPthe Convention on BiologDiversity (CBD) in October 2at Hyderabad will have a stremphasis on Ocean conservat

"As host nation to the CBD and a key player on global gonance of the high seas, Indiathe opportunity and responsty to ensure that these multi-lal forums deliver the charequired. While the seas Oceans might seem infinite, are fast approaching their limiendurance. The need is for actand the time for it is now" cluded Hamid.

therefore the livelihoods of hdreds of millions dependenthem. An estimated 10 to 12lion people in India rely on eries for food or employmeither directly or indirectly. losses accrued from IUU fishin the Indian EEZ, are estimbetween $250 to $ 320 miannually.

"The occurrence of these

gal vessels is a perfect exampan industry that continuesunsustainable plunder of oceans. To demonstrate India is serious about controits own fishing industry and tect coastal communitiesneeds to put an immediate enpractices of illegal, unrepoand unregulated fishing goinin our EEZ" Areeba HamGreenpeace India OceCampaigner said.

"The Ministry of Agriculhas to put in place an effecfisheries management p which is based on a sustainapproach, secures the liveliho

of millions, protects framarine ecosystems and spirate fishing. As part of its cmitment to biodiversity con vation, India will hosteleventh Conference of Parties (COP) to the UnNations Convention on BioloDiversity (CBD) in October 2 As host nation, COP 11 opportunity for India to be a gressive and important playethe global conservation stBut in order to be a true oconservation champion, Inshould take measures to proits own territorial waters

which millions depend uright now."Hamid said.

Governance gaps in marinefisheries allow Illegal, unreported

and unregulated fishing to gounabated in the EEZ.

Greenpeace Exposes PirateFishing Off Andaman Coast


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BYZUBAIRAHMED

Since December 2008, about702 boat people withB a n g l a d e s h - M y a n m a r

nationality were rescued fromvarious parts of the Islands. Aftera slow moving process, about 270of them were repatriated. Theremaining 422 are languishing inthe Distress Camp set up atBrookshabad by the ANI Admn.Another 54 were to be deportedthis week to Bangladesh.

"Its three years now, and wehave not done anything wrong.We were first persecuted by theBurmese Junta, pushed by theThais into the face of death.Indian government has been verysympathetic to us, but how can wecontinue to remain in a detentioncamp like this?" asks GhulamKadir, who is just 25 years old.

The 400 persons have beenlodged in the Open DistressCamp, where they live in threedormitories. The Admn spendsabout Rs 75 per diem. They alllook well-fed and clothed.

However, they are unable toaccept their fate, of living as pris-oners without any hope.

"It is very unfortunate thatpoachers and Illegal fishermenfrom Myanmar, Bangladesh orThailand, who are apprehendedgets repatriated after they servetheir sentences, whereas theseboatpeople does not have the

right to even get out of theircamp," says a senior police officer.

Mohammed Zameer, 23 years,born in Arakan has six membersin his family. Faced with despera-tion and pain in managing a fam-ily in a hostile country, where itsown citizens are persecuted bythe Myanmar government, hecrossed to Bothi Gaon in

Bangladesh, just 20 kms away.One of the 2 lakh state-less and worst discriminated Rohingyasand Arakanese who had crossedthe border looking for a safehaven from the clutches ofMyanmar, he too dreamed of abetter world. The border towns ofMyanmar-Bangladesh are hometo many such unfortunate souls.

However life was not that easBangladesh. He remainedmonths in Chittagong thought of moving to Malaysi

When he heard that CapRafeeque, would take himMalaysia for an amount of 15thousand takas, he too joined102 member group. Rafeeknown as Captain promised ta safe landing in Malaysia. It about 8 days to reach Phuketheir way, where they were incepted by Thai Navy. They csee around 120 s Arakanese/Bangladeshi ecoic migrants already detainedthe Thai Navy.

Lately, the Thai authoritiespicked Red Sand Island for cessing' the Rohingyas bepushing them into the sea. Tare subjected to inhuman torand humiliation in the procThey are detained on the bwith gun-trotting guards abuand torturing them. About 41these boat people were loainto a dead engineless incaptated wooden boat and to

ROHINGYAS: ENDLESSWAIT FOR REPATRIATIONAbout 400 desperate souls rescued from the seas and detained in a distress camfor almost three years at Port Blair dream for a free life and a reunion with the

families. Abandoned by both Myanmar and Bangladesh, their fate hangs in baance, with an indecisive government policy and the sluggish pace of repatriatio

Mohammed Zameer: Optimistic! Ghulam Kadir: Its a LongWait! Mukhtar: Engine Betrayed!

Distress Camp at Brookshabad


4/8


deep into the sea for 24 hours andleft to drift. Two bags of boiledrice and two jars of water wereprovided on each boat. There wasno provision to cook the rice. Theysoaked it in water and chewedraw. But that too did not last morethan two days. 412 persons tossedin a boat with no space to evenmove, they drifted in the sea formore than 15 days and they evenlost the count of days after a cer-

tain period. Hunger and thirstdrove them mad. Everyday, theywere throwing dead bodies intothe sea. When after a long period,the boat drifted towards LittleAndaman Islands, where theywere spotted and rescued by theA&N police and ANC, out of 413,only 107 survived.

They arrived at Port Blair fam-ished and totally dehydrated.They were shifted to hospital.After they recovered from the

trauma, they were jointly interro-gated by police and defence per-sonnel. Although there is no lackof facilities, what they rue is

detention without any crime.When asked SBS Deol, DGP toldLOA, "They are not criminals andthere is no justification in holdingthem in a detention camp, and Ithink they should be givenRefugee status by Government ofIndia."

When asked about the delay inrepatriation, Naushad, Dy SPEmigration told LOA, "We havealready forwarded all the detailsof the boatpeople to BSF as well asto the concerned HighCommission; however, its timeconsuming and the response isvery slow from Dhaka as well asfrom BSF."

"We are doing our best inaddressing their requirements."There is cellphone facility provid-ed to them and they speak to theirfamily members and relatives," hesaid.

The Administration is spendingabout Rs 12 Lakhs per month forthe detainees.

"The desperation among thedetainees has increased a lot.They had gone on hunger strikefour or five times demandingquick repatriation, which is not agood sign," said DGP. A few ofthem in fact had tried to escapefrom the camp. About ten of them

are undergoing prison sentence."In 2005-07, many Rohingyas

had trespassed Thailand to enterMalaysia. Although they weredetained by Thai authorities for10-15 days, as soon as their rela-tives in Malaysia intervened andpaid an amount of 3000Malaysian Ringgit, they werereleased. In Malaysia, the govern-ment accepted them and wouldprovide them Refugee Card forlabourers," said Mohd Zameer.

Mukhtar (35) belonged to agroup of 61 persons, which land-ed in Twin Islands on 08 Jan2009. Their boat had developedan engine snag, and drifting inopen sea for about eight days.

In another incident, about 150persons landed nearTillangchaung Island on 10 Jan2009. Ghulam Kadir (25) who isstill in the camp says that theywere about 110 and 41 more peo-ple were tossed into an incapaci-tated boat by Thai authorities andpushed into the sea. About 113persons have been repatriated.Another 36 persons are still in theDistress Camp waiting repatria-tion to Bangladesh.

One more incapacitated boatcarrying 133 Rohingyas reachedPillow Millow village in Great

Nicobar on 15th January 2009.The boat caught the attention ofthe residents of the village thathad just 5-6 families living thereafter tsunami devastated it in2004. Rest of the 41 families ofthe village were still living in tem-porary shelters in Campbell Bay.

However, the villagers took outtheir boats and with great difficul-ties towed the drifting boat to the village in a very rough weather.

The Rohingyas were famishedand dehydrated as was the casewith earlier arrivals in the Islands.There was not much in the villageto offer over 130 hungry people,said Paul Jura, the tribal chief ofthe village from Campbell Bay.However, the villagers offeredthem banana and whatever elsethey could. The police inCampbell Bay was alerted thougheven that in itself was a monu-mental task.

The issue is very serious forthose of Burmese origin. There were about 107 of them, out ofwhich 38 of them were rescued in

2008 and only one of them wasrepatriated. Another group of 37 were found on Barren Island inDecember 2011. 34 more ofBurmese origin was rescued nearGoal Tikrey, Kalighat on 23December 2011.

"Even Rohingyas living legallyon Phuket have been refusedpassports by the ''new'' Burmesegovernment. Those who do landin Thailand are ''helped on'' toMalaysia or into the arms of bro-kers," said Alan Morison, Editor,Phuketwan to LOA.

"Myanmar is not going to takethem back as they are outcaststhere and Bangladesh would dothe same as they are Rohingyas. Itwould be inhumane to keep themin detention. Either UnitedNations or Government of Indiawould have to pitch in and conferRefugee status to them," said aPolice Officer.

It is human right issue of monu-mental proportion rather thanstray incidents of desperate peo-ple drifting in with the tradewinds as the A&N Administrationtreats it. A proper policy needs tobe devised in consultation withthe Government of India to han-dle the migrant Rohingyas prob-lem.

They are not crimi-nals and there is no

justification in hold-ing them in a deten-

tion camp, and Ithink they should begiven Refugee status

by Govt of India.

SBS Deol, IPS, DGP

Thai Navy arresting the Boatpeople at Similan IslandsINHUMANE: Thai Navy arresting the Boatpeople at Similan Islands

FAMISHED & DEHYDRATED: Onboard Coast Guard Vessel Varad on 28 Dec 2008

UNENDING WAIT: At the Distress Camp at Brookshabad.

INCAPACITATED: The engineless boat pushed to the open sea by Thai Navy


5/8


Valentines Day:Fun and Fuss

PAUPERS LOG |ABU ARS

It was V-Day time and the cupid were at it again. The waitingover and it's was all hearts, red

and pink roses, confectioneries,

greeting cards, new attires,treats, variety events with blaringmusic and you name it. Youngsters were at it with fullattendance at schools, classbunks at colleges and the mar-ried busy in their own discreteways- loving and even cheatingon their spouses.

In India, around 1992Valentine's Day started catchingup with special TV and radio pro-grams, and even love letter com-petitions. The economic liberal-ization also helped the Valentinecard industry. In modern times,religious traditionalists considerthe day to be cultural contamina-

tion from the West, result of theglobalization in India. Groupsand political outfits like the SriRam Sena, Shiv Sena, Bajrangdal and the Sangh Parivar haveasked their followers to shun theday and the "public admission oflove" because of them being"alien to Indian culture". Theseprotests are organized by politicalelites, but the protesters them-selves are middle-class Indianmen who fear that the globaliza-tion will destroy the traditions inour society: arranged marriages, joint families, full-time mothersand so on.

The day is regarded by certaingroups as a front for Westernimperialism, neocolonialism,and the exploitation of workingclasses through commercialismby multinational corporations.Studies have shown that Valentine's Day promotes andaggravates income inequality inIndia, and aids in the creation of apseudo-westernized middleclass. As a result, the workingclasses and rural poor becomemore disconnected socially, polit-ically, and geographically fromthe capitalist power structure.They also criticize mainstreammedia attacks on Indiansopposed to Valentine's Day as aform of demonization that isdesigned and derived to furtherthe Valentine's Day agenda.Despite these obstacles, Valentine's Day is becomingincreasingly popular in India.

Radical groups point out that youngsters are being looted bycelebrating Valentine's Day."These celebrations are just agimmick of multi-national com-panies, who want to loot moneyfrom young consumers in Indiaby celebrating Valentine's Day.Spending on gift items - rightfrom cards, flowers, jewellery,

chocolates, mobile phones, Mplayers and wrist watches, pple in our country spend lakhsthis particular day," According

the Associated Chambers Commerce and Industry of In(Assocham), the expendituduring Valentine's week last ywas a whopping Rs.12,000 cro

This year the moral brigaoutfits like Shiv Sena, who cradown on love-struck couples Valentine's had no real intentto play spoilsport on Feb 14. Oof the reasons behind this chanof heart is the bad reputatithey were getting. In the pareligious radicals kept vigil parks, restaurants and othplaces on the day to prevent coples from getting close, and aattacked greeting card sho

pubs and gardens to protest celebrations, drawing widspread criticism. Though tBajrang Dal opposed celebtions this year by asking coupto marry or tie a Rakhi on tspot at parks and other venuesthe cost of public display of lov

Historically, it's very hard find a proper link between SaValentine and love. No romanelements are present in the orinal early medieval biographieeither Valentine of Rome Valentine of Terni around AD. Valentine became linkedromance without much su

stance in the 14th century; dtinctions between ValentineRome and Valentine of Tewere utterly lost.

The islands too didn't behind in celebrating the dthough for most of us -the reand pinks splattered acrosscard stores and gift shops chous out. Non-stop love songs beplayed across all radio statiomusic channels, and kids askifor a raise in pocket monmakes one feel like pulling yohair in disgust. These trends mbe well understood and not apso as to not let these celebratiocontribute to more social amoral corruption; our islansociety is already deeembroiled in. Kids can have the fun and not go overboaOnce our kids go for higher stuies to the mainland and are their own, they become vulneble to such trends and attractioWith the dearth of entertainmand constructive avenues in tislands, kids have very limitopportunities to unwind or hasome fun except for occasiolike these. These may lead issues which make headlinews like what we've been reaing and watching a lot of late.

According to AmnestyInternational, the Rohingyapeople have continued to

suffer from human rights viola-tions under the Myanmar juntasince 1978, and many have fled toneighbouring Bangladesh as a

result:"The Rohingyas' freedom ofmovement is severely restrictedand the vast majority of themhave effectively been deniedMyanmar citizenship. They arealso subjected to various forms ofextortion and arbitrary taxation;land confiscation; forced evictionand house destruction; and finan-cial restrictions on marriage.Rohingyas continue to be used asforced labourers on roads and atmilitary camps, although theamount of forced labour in north-ern Rakhine (Arakan) State hasdecreased over the last decade."

"In 1978 over estimated num-

ber of 200,000 Rohingyas fled toBangladesh, following the'Nagamin' ('Dragon King') opera-tion of the Myanmar army.Officially this campaign aimed at"scrutinising each individual liv-ing in the state, designating citi-zens and foreigners in accordancewith the law and taking actionsagainst foreigners who have fil-tered into the country illegally".This military campaign directlytargeted civilians, and resulted inwidespread killings, rape and

destruction.""During 1991-92 a new wave of

the estimated number of a quarter

of a million Rohingyas fled toBangladesh. They reported wide-

spread forced labour, as well assummary executions, torture, andrape. Rohingyas were forced to

work without pay by theMyanmar army on infrastructureand economic projects, oftenunder harsh conditions. Manyother human rights violationsoccurred in the context of forcedlabour of Rohingya civilians bythe security forces."

Rohingyas or Bangladeshis?The boatpeople pushed deep

into the sea to drift by Thaiauthorities and reached theAndaman shores facing hardshipsand ordeals now face a major cri-sis - Burmese does not recognize

Rohingyas/Arakanese as their cit-izens, and many of them living in

Bangladesh does not possess anypaper from Bangladesh govern-ment. Most of these state-less peo-

ple were living in the bordertowns of Bangladesh. Two-thirdof us is from Cox Bazar inBangladesh.

Under Burmese law, theRohingyas are de jure stateless,but they fare little better inBangladesh. Most Rohingyas inBangladesh have no legal rightsand few employment opportuni-ties. Hence, they try to move toThailand and Malaysia.

"As we are landless, our familieslive in rented houses there," saidAbdul Rehman, who had crossedfrom Myanmar and living with hisfamily in Cox Bazar. "We would

like to go back to our families inBangladesh," he said.

Mohammed Muslim (47)is one of the most vocalamong the detainees at

the Distress Camp. He does notlike to be addressed as Rohingyaor Arakani. He says that he isfrom Teknaf, a sub-district ofCox Bazar, a division ofChittagong in Bangladesh.

"The officials fromBangladesh High Commissioncomes here every 5-6 months.They take all our addresses anddetails. But, nothing is happen-ing in our case," he said.

'We are 265 persons anddetained in this camp for lastthree years. Only 11 personsfrom our group have left. Out of265, more than 100 persons willnever get to go back as

Bangladeshi official suspects usto be Arakanese," he worriedlysaid.

"About 40 persons in ourgroup have their own residencein Bangladesh, but the land is

not in their name. The localpolice officials in our villagedemand huge amount of bribein Bangladesh to respond to theidentification letters."

"Some of us even haveIdentity Cards, but our papersare not processed,"

"We are away from our fami-lies and they are in deep troubleas the earning members of thefamilies are held up here. Wespeak to our family membersover phone from here, but theauthorities seem to be unawareof their whereabouts," Mohdtold LOA. "Even UN is not takingup our issue with IndianGovernment. Give us the free-dom every human being aspiresfor, he pleads.

Please Unite Us with OurFamilies: Mohd Muslim

Persecution of Rohingyas

Under Burmese law, the Rohingyas are de jurestateless, but they fare little better in

Bangladesh. Most Rohingyas in Bangladeshhave no legal rights and few employmentopportunities. Hence, they try to move to

Thailand and Malaysia.


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6 |edit|PAGE THE LIGHT OF ANDAMANS, Port Blair 17 FEBRUARY

Na kuch kehte hi banta hai, Na chup rehte hi banta haiHamara bhee to is mitti se aakhir wastha hai kuch - (Raz Andamani)

Buffer Zone Hearing: Disappointed

The public hearing by the Supreme Court appointed two-member Advocate com-mission on Buffer Zone case once again exposed the small-mindedness and hol-lowness of the political setup in the Islands. Representatives of various political

parties and a few organizations converted it into a seminar on Jarawa tribe citing his-tory from 1857 to the present era.

However, the house consensually made it clear that the timing and the venue of thepublic hearing was inappropriate. They alleged that the Administration should havegiven ample notice period for the Buffer Zone affected Islanders and they also ruedthat it should have been apt, had the meeting been arranged somewhere in Middle

Andaman, which is the most affected area.

There was no arrangement made by the Director, Tribal Welfare to properly docu-ment the opinions of the public and no entries were made about the memorandumsand representations submitted by the parties and other organizations.

The whole exercise seemed to be hogwash, with no consequential outcome. Theprolonged speeches made by the leaders of the political parties were more about thelifestyle of Jarawas and Andaman Trunk Road and very less about the Buffer Zone.

A BJP representative even alleged that the Buffer Zone had its origin in an unsuc-cessful negotiation between the Administrator and a Businessman, which was booedby Congress party representatives.

Most of the speakers were in favour of mainstreaming Jarawas rather than oppos-ing Buffer Zone. It made their intentions very clear that their convenience lie in med-dling with the lives of Jarawas. Shanta Laxman Singh, said that the Admn had onceextended hands of friendship to the Jarawas and now it should not abandon them inmid-way.

Vishal Jolly unconvincingly tried to draw the attention of the Commission towardsthe Battle of Aberdeen, purportedly fought between British and Andamanese and

could not drive his point home. Citing the Census figures he said that Jarawas popu-lation has increased 58% whereas the settler population had a meager growth of 8%.He also contended that had the villagers not settled in those areas, poachers wouldhave killed the Jarawas. However, he overlooked the point that the most pristine for-est reserve is still the Jarawa Reserve and all other forests under the control of the set-tlers are plundered to the hilt.

The Commission had to now and then remind the gathering their mandate andtheir roles. MP Bishnu too made an elaborate speech where he authentically present-ed many blunders. He wanted the Commission to consider the Master Plan preparedby Awaradi in 1991. He felt that ATR was primarily constructed for the movement ofmilitary. He also expressed his fear that If Chinese attacked the Islands in July, in theabsence of ATR, Navy would not be able to sail due to rough weather!

Dr R K Haldar too gave a lengthy speech about the anthropological aspects ofJarawas. Hamid Ali asserted that Jarawas are no more primitive and only Sentinaleseare primitive in nature. Although, in favour of mainstreaming Jarawas, he contra-dicted himself by suggesting that Jarawas should be settled in South Sentinalese

Island, where they will remain uncontacted. Ranjit Kumar Banerjee emphasized thatbefore taking any decision, views of the Jarawas should be sought.

The surprise element of the public hearing was the comeback of ManoranjanBhakta, Ex-MP after a long period. With all his ailments, he tried to express himself,but his words fumbled and his body could not support his spirit.

Jessy John, proprietor of Dew Dale Resorts, Baratang, which was shut down by theAdministration citing Buffer Zone made a genuine and emotional representationbefore the Commission. She said that the Administration did not extend any help orcompensation for the loss she incurred by the abrupt closure of her resort. She alsoasked Som Naidu, Director, Tribal Welfare, whether he has ever visited her Resortbefore closure to ascertain whether it falls under Buffer Zone, which did put theDirector in a very awkward position.

The public hearing turned into a show of one-upmanship between the political par-ties forgetting that it's a common issue which required a united voice. If this is the stateof our polity, imagine how our Assembly would be!

SACRED | SPACE

Once upon a time, the animalsdecided they must do somethingheroic to meet the problems of

a new world. So they organized aschool. They adopted an activity cur-riculum consisting of running, climb-ing, swimming and flying. To make iteasier to administer the curriculum, allthe animals took all the subjects.

The duck was excellent in swim-ming, in fact better than his instructor,but he made only passing grades in fly-ing and was very poor in running.Since he was slow in running, he hadto stay after school and also dropswimming in order to practice run-ning. This was kept up until hiswebbed feet were badly worn and he was only average in swimming. Butaverage was acceptable in school, sonobody worried about that except theduck.

The rabbit started at the top of theclass in running, but had a nervousbreakdown because of so much make-up work in swimming. The squirrel

was excellent in climbing untdeveloped frustration in the flclass where his teacher made him from the ground up instead of fthe treetop down. He also developcharlie horse from overexertionthen got a C in climbing and a D in ning. The eagle was a problem cand was disciplined severely. In

climbing class he beat all the othethe top of the tree, but insistedusing his own way to get there.

At the end of the year, an abnoreel that could swim exceedingly wand also run, climb and fly a little,the highest average and was valedrian.

The prairie dogs stayed out of scand fought the tax levy becauseadministration would not add digand burrowing to the curriculThey apprenticed their children badger and later joined the grouhogs and gophers to start a succeprivate school.

Does this fable have a moral?

The Animal School

17 February 2012 | Vol 35 Issue 27 F

earing that the Forest Rights Act,2006, will be used as a populist

programme leading to ineligiblepeople benefitting from land grants,the Director-General of Forests has written to all Chief Secretaries ofStates to exercise restraint in grantingland ownership records (pattas).

Kaushik Mukherjee, AdditionalChief Secretary to Government,Department of Forest, Ecology andEnvironment, said this at the nation-al-level workshop on Strengtheningof livelihoods for sustainable manage-ments of forests here on Thursday.

Speaking about what had led tothese fears, he said that there wereseveral instances of land being grant-ed to non-tribal people under the leg-islation without proper verification.

The legislation was passed to protectthe rights of indigenous people whohave either habitation or cultivableland within a forest area.

Mr. Mukherjee said that the ques-tion as to whether the system shouldview tribal people as anthropologicalspecimens or make them join themainstream is a moot question thatdemands soul-searching answers. It was important not to condemn ageneration to penury in the name ofpreserving their culture, he added. Itis unfortunate that the Jarawa tribalpeople were made to dance for theirfood, he said.

The need of the hour was

respectable rehabilitation andnecessarily relocation, said

Mukherjee, adding that the Cenallocation for these programmes skimpy. He suggested that moallocated under Special CompoPlan (SCP) and Tribal Sub-Plan could also be used for this. Mukherjee said that projects by ngovernmental organisations shnot become bypass programmethe existing government grammes. He emphasised the neeachieve convergence between cmunity-based organisations statutory bodies.

Underlining the difficultiesexpanding forest cover, he said th was important to ensure thaexisting pristine bio-diversity a

were not lost. While some cover cobe increased in agro-forestry, whilargely monoculture, lost bio-divecould never be recovered, he add

P.J. Dilip Kumar, Director-Genof Forests, said that a project to adregenerate 10 million hectares ofest cover over the next 10 years wostart from April this year.

Ananth Hegde Ashisara, Chairof the Western Ghats Task Force, that the village forest commitwere playing a crucial role in presing forests,. He said that the SGovernment should allocate Rscrore for them in the coming bud

Exercise Restraint WhileGranting Land Ownershi

Records, States Told


7/8

7 |home|PAGE THE LIGHT OF ANDAMANS, Port Blair 17 FEBRUARY

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? PGDCST / PDCST = 2 YEARS ? ADCST = 1YEAR?DCST = 6 MONTHS ? CCA = 3 MONTHS ?CAC = 6 WEEKS

ALL AT A VERY REASONABLE FEE STRUCTUR E!

Admission

Going On !

BECAUSE EDUCATION GOES BEYOND BUSINESS

Jawaharlal Nehru RajkeeyaMahavidyala has set a newstandard by organizing

TechnoVaganza 2012, an inter-Collegiate IT Festival inauguratedby the Commissioner-cum-Secretary (Higher Education),Shri B.S. Bhalla as the Chief Guest

on 16 Feb 2012.Speaking on the occasion, Shri

Bhalla appreciated the way in which information technologywas being promoted through festival like 'TechnoVaganza'. Hehoped that the entire student com-munity of college and schools inthese islands will soon get oppor-tunity to avail IT facilities. Hehoped that the submarine opticalfibre cable will be available inabout 18 months providinggreater bandwidth to the users inthese islands and bringing ITindustries to these islands. He con-gratulated the staff of Computer

Science Department for organiz-ing 'technovaganza'.

In his address, the PrincipalJNRM, Dr. Iqbal Ahmad highlight-ed the achievements of the

College. He thanked Commissioner-cum-Secre(Higher Education) for his port and encouragement indevelopment of the College.

Describing the purpose of hing the TechnoVaganza, Vinod NC, HOD, Departme

Computer Science said thatfestival was aimed at exploring young talents in the fieInformation Technology andup the student community unone roof. The inaugural gramme concluded with votthanks proposed by Shri RaKumar Tiwari, Assistant ProfeDepartment of Computer Scie

In the second session, tefrom DBRAIT, TGCE, ITI, IGNDDE Annamalai UniversityJNRM participated in excicompetitions like dumb charadigital vista, techno quiz, hunt, JAM, and ad-mad. The

ond session concluded with pdistribution by the PrincJNRM and vote of thanks by C.Parthiban, Assistant ProfeDepartment of Computer Scie

TechnoVaganza 2012Island IT Shining

BYSTAFFREPORTER

ACapacity Building Training -cum- workshop for the elect-ed representatives and offi-

cials associated with thePanchayati Raj Institutions forFerrargunj Tehsil was held on13th Feb in the Community Hallof Ferrargunj. Shri S. S.Balakrishnan Nair, Adhyaksh,Zilla Parishad, South Andamanwas the Chief Guest of the

Programme.Speaking on the occasion Shri

S. S. Balakrishnan Nair,Adhyaksh, Zilla Parishad, SouthAndaman promised to take upvarious issues raised by the PRIswith the Administration. He fur-

ther said that the Zila Parishadwould be taking up all unfinishedprojects and complete them in astipulated time. He urged themembers to identify sustainablecommunity development projectsthrough watershed managementprogrammes. He also cleared var-ious doubts and queries raised bythe members.

Shri M. P. Rajmohan, BDO &EO, Panchayat Samiti, Ferrargunjspoke in detail about the provi-sions contained in the Grant inAid to Panchayati Raj Institution(Amendment) Rule -2012. Shri

Anjan Das, Joint Director,

Directorate of Agriculture spokeabout the various schemes ofdevolved functions of theAgriculture department with thePRIs. Smti Irene Nicolas, CDPO,Ferrargunj enlightened the partic-ipants about schemes of SocialWelfare Dept. Shri T. K. Biswas,AFDO, Fisheries Dept., PanchayatSamiti, Ferrargunj informed theparticipants about schemes ofFisheries dept. Shri. C. J. Joseph,SCA, Panchayat Samiti,Ferrargunj spoke about soil andwater Conservation techniques.Shri Nagender, Programme offi-cer, SA District, NRHM, ShriChella Perumal, A. E. RCD,Wimberlygunj, Shri Rajan, JE,Panchayat Samiti, Ferrargunjexplained about AnnualMaintenance Contract of StreetLighting in Gram Panchayats.Shri Manohar Singh, Ex-SE Elect,Chairman, Elect, CGRF, A & NIslands, explained about the func-tions of Electricity- ConsumerGrievances Redressal Forum. ShriA. Sinha Roy, Executive Officer,KVIB, explained in detail aboutPMEGP Scheme, Shri AbdulRasheed, ARCS, Coop Dept.spoke on types of Coop societiesand schemes of Cooperativedepartment.

An Interactive session was alsoconducted wherein the PRI mem-bers interacted with the officialsof the line dept. and the Adhyaksh, Zila Parishad, S/ Andaman. They came up withvaluable suggestion about imple-mentations of various schemesand grievances in day to day func-

tioning of the PRIs. Shri AbdulAziz, Pradhan Stewartgunj GramPanchayat appreciated that sucha training programme was held wherein the PRI's from the pan-chayat ward member to a ZillaParishad member attended andgot enlightened about variousschemes and provisions of variousdepartments.. Commenting onthe scheme of destitute women ofsocial welfare wherein a womanhas to give an affidavit of notremarrying in case of availing thescheme, he felt was discriminato-ry and robs a woman to lead a lifeof dignity. He was also critical of

certain provisions contained inthe recently released notificationof PRI's which has stringent provi-sions for the elected representa-tives and very few for the engi-neers or officials concerned. He was critical of the schedule ofwork which is to be carried all the way to the EE PRI at Junglighatfor sanction or award of work andbilling whereas an AE is availableat the Panchayat Samiti level whocan very well do this work as is theprevalent practice prior to thisnotification. He was also disillu-sioned with imminent delays ingranting of NOC's for civil worksby the revenue authorities sever-ally affecting execution of devel-opmental works in the monsoonprone islands which has very fewdry months for carrying these out.Other Gram Pradhans ofFerrargunj tehsil area also agreed with the above submission. ShriAP Jabir expressed his dissatisfac-tion over the Annual maintenancecontract of Street lights where thecontractor and engineer are givenmore authority than the electedrepresentative. Shri VM AbdulAziz, a social worker of Brindabanexpressed his dissatisfaction overthe manner in which the adminis-tration is conducting the Socio-

economic and caste census ignor-ing the PRI's. He said that thePRI's will boycott such census ifthey are not involved as theyknow their constituency's peoplebetter than the enumerators.

Officials from all line depart-ments enlightened the partici-pants about various schemes and

programmes of the departments.The Programme was attended by300 participants including ZilaParishad members, PanchayatSamiti members, GramPradhans, Panchayat ward mem-bers and officials of variousdepartments under FerrargunjTehsil.

Shri Mohd. Safique, Pramukh,Panchayat Samiti, Ferrargunjproposing vote of thanks appreci-ated the efforts of BlockDevelopment Officer andDirectorate of (RD, PRIs & ULB),for organizing a capacity buildingtraining cum workshop which

greatly benefited the PRIs ofFerrargunj tehsil area. ShriShahid Meshack, PO, MGNRE-GA, Ferrargunj, coordinated theProgramme.

Capacity Building Workshopfor PRIs at Ferrargunj


8/8

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8 |back|PAGE THE LIGHT OF ANDAMANS, Port Blair 17 FEBRUARY

Before quitting smokingmore than two and halfdecades back I was a

chain-smoker, one of myfriend brought me a gift of'musical cigarette lighter' as a

mark of memento fromSingapore. It would delivercouple of melodious musicaltunes when lightened. I start-ed smoking extra as to lightthe lighter more and more tobe a point of attractionamidst crowd.

One day I was sitting witha few friends in AnnapurnaCafeteria. Those days ciga-rette smoking was neitherinjurious to health nor it wasa banned item in publicplace. After placing order forcups of tea I lighted a ciga-

rette naturally alarming thepresence in the restaurant.Enjoying the curiosity ofother customers I pushed thecigarette, not even half done,into the ash-tray and lightedanother one. Before the lastsip of tea I lighted the thirdone, obviously to attract themtowards my exclusive posses-sion.

A well dressed manapproached my table. I couldsee a costly pack of cigarettepeeping out of his shirt'spocket. He came to me andpolitely demanded, "Hello

brother can I just borrowyour match box please?"Posing as if I was too busy dis-cussing something like thirdworld war, I simply raised myhand with the lighter in it. Hetotally ignored me andrepeated his sentence askingme if I had a match box.Disturbed by his approach Ialmost roared in husky voice,"Which Samaritan has cau-tioned you not to light a ciga-rette with a lighter?"

"Sorry sir, Lighter cannotalways meet all the needs. I

am just asking for a match-box to fetch two 'Teelee'(match-splint) out of it; not tolight my cigarette, but, toscratch me ear with one andto remove a food particlefrom my teeth with theother", calmly he delivered.

I left posing the prized pos-session.

Musafir

Lighter Vs Match-Boxchalte | CHALTE

back | BITE

A PICTURE is worth athousand WORDS, but ituses up three thousand

times the MEMORY.

loa issue 27 - 17 feb 2012 - colour

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