Working Paper No.1

May 2007

The Nicobar Islands:

A long way to go

Janki Andharia

Bidisha Fouzdar

Mohan S. Rao

TATA INSTITUTE OF SOCIAL SCIENCES

CAR NICOBAR

CHOWRA

TERESSA

BOMPOKA

CAMORTA

KATCHAL

LITTLE NICOBAR

GREAT

NICOBAR

LOCATION OF ANDAMAN AND NICOBARISLANDS OF INDIA

MYANMAR

The Tata Institute of Social Sciences was established in 1936,

the first school of social work in Asia. It is a Deemed University

under Section 3 of the University Grants Commission Act, 1956

and a registered society under the Indian Societies Registration

Act (XXI of 1860). The TISS has been involved in disaster

response, relief and rehabilitation, in the Indian sub-continent

for the past six decades.

The Jamsetji Tata Centre for Disaster Management was set up

in 2006 to consolidate the work of the Tata Institute of Social

Sciences in post-disaster relief and rehabilitation and to foster

a critical discourse around disaster management. The Centre

offers courses, conducts research and trainings on aspects

related to disasters, besides managing on-ground projects and

engaging in policy support work.

© Jamsetji Tata Centre for Disaster Management, Tata Institute

of Social Sciences

May 2007

Authors:

Part A: Issues, Challenges and the Way Forward

Janki Andharia and Bidisha Fouzdar

Part B: Housing and Habitat in the Nicobar Islands

Mohan S. Rao

Fieldwork and photographs:

Janki Andharia, Smitha Rao, Mohan S. Rao, Meghali Senapati, Dharmananda

Sundaray, Junuka Deshpande, J Madhu, Subhash Chandra Ghosh.

Images on the left are from Chowra and Katchal Islands.

Any part of this publication can be reproduced with full acknowledgements

and after informing the Jamsetji Tata Centre for Disaster Management.

ContentsForeword .................................................................................................................................... i

About this document ....................................................................................................... ii

Structure of the document ............................................................................................... ii

TISS’s role in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands ................................................................ iii

Executive Summary .................................................................................................................... iv

Part A

Issues, challenges and the way forward ............................................................................... 1

1. The Context .................................................................................................................... 2

2. Challenges ...................................................................................................................... 6

2.1 Transport and Connectivity .................................................................................... 6

2.2 Education .............................................................................................................. 8

2.3 Health services ..................................................................................................... 10

2.4 Water supply ....................................................................................................... 12

2.5 Education and Vigilance to Conserve the Environment ......................................... 13

2.6 Sensitivity in dealing with indigenous communities .............................................. 14

2.7 Expenditure of tsunami funds .............................................................................. 16

2.8 Livelihoods and Unemployment ........................................................................... 18

2.9 Access to information .......................................................................................... 19

2.10 Excluded communities ......................................................................................... 23

2.11 Governance ......................................................................................................... 24

3. The Way Forward

Putting people at the centre of rehabilitation efforts ...................................................... 29

3.1 Planning with social and environmental justice ..................................................... 29

3.2 Approach to indigenous people ........................................................................... 31

3.3 Welfare schemes and services .............................................................................. 32

References ..................................................................................................................... 34

Part B

Housing and Habitat in the Nicobar Islands ....................................................................... 35

1. Specific Solutions Related to Specific Parameters ............................................................ 37

2. Nicobari Habitat ............................................................................................................ 44

3. Participatory Approach to Rehabilitation ........................................................................ 47

4. Highlights of the INDÉ Review of the TCPO proposal ...................................................... 49

5. The Proposed INDÉ Alternative ....................................................................................... 50

Annexures : 1. Comparative Analysis of Proposals ......................................................... 55

2. INDÉ Proposals ...................................................................................... 58

Foreword

On 26th December 2004, one of the world’s worst-known disasters – a tsunami set off by

an underwater earthquake – hit the Andaman and Nicobar Islands (ANI). The southern

part of the Islands, the Nicobars, took the brunt of the earthquake and the tidal waves.

In the period following the disaster, the Islands received unprecedented attention and saw an

influx of ‘outsiders’: both representatives of the administration as well as development workers

from Non-Government Organisations (NGOs) and elsewhere. Reconstruction and rehabilitation

work started in full swing, and their results are not inconsequential. In fact, the Nicobar

Islanders were one of the largest focus of the tsunami rehabilitation efforts in Asia.

Two years on from the disaster, the results in some areas are reassuring. However, the pace of

rehabilitation efforts seems to have slackened, according to the tribal communities, in certain

areas. The Islands are located at considerable distances from each other and from Port Blair.

Relief and recovery processes take long because access to the Nicobars require ‘landing permits’

or a ‘tribal area pass’. In ways more than one, the Nicobar Islands have a long way to go.

Many in the administration argue that the situation is much better now than what it was on the

islands before the tsunami. There are, for instance, two helicopters plying on a daily basis, covering

the distance from Port Blair to the Nicobar islands such as Carnicobar, Campbell Bay, Kamorta,

Teressa and also North Andamans. The quality and frequency of shipping services has improved. If

anything, there is greater resource allocation now and greater vigilance on the part of the

community. This sadly points to the fact that it took a disaster to make the country take note of

the struggles of the people in the ANI, especially the tribal people.

The heightened interactions with outsiders and systems after the tsunami have been a compelling

experience for most Nicobarese. The process of acculturation and integration is proving to be a

painful one. The fact that monetary gains and greed determine social relations amongst non-

tribals and the realisation that each person is out to make money (with the knowledge that

Nicobarese have received compensation monies) challenges local cultural norms in very deep and

fundamental ways.

This working paper on situations that need urgent attention in the Nicobar islands aims to identify

specific concerns and questions that the islanders have, about their entitlements and basic rights

– including the right to livelihood, education and healthcare. Further, it outlines areas where close

collaboration is required among duty-bearers and the community, in order to ensure that the

Nicobar islanders – regardless of their tribal/non-tribal status, place of origin, etc, get fair treatment

and access to entitlements.

i

About this document

This working paper precedes a more substantive study currently underway on the post-tsunami

situation in the Nicobar Islands. Brief articles and working papers can often do much more

than the universal gesture of a book. They help focus on immediate areas of theoretical and

practical concern and can also generate constructive actions. With this in mind, TISS brings

out this working paper on the Nicobar Islands, outlining the present scenario and suggesting

ways to move forward. It is addressed to all those who are in positions of authority and duty,

and hence are already familiar with the realities of the Islands. Descriptions and detailing is

thus kept to minimum.

In many cases, solutions are apparent and only require the will of the administration to be

translated to reality. The paper ends with a discussion suggesting specific measures, addressed

to all stakeholders in the region: the administration, NGOs, armed forces, as well as the

communities themselves. We set out the questions posed by the islanders themselves, as a

people’s reminder on all that is yet to be done in the Nicobar Islands, while pointing to priority

areas of action.

The working paper is based on specific experiences of people living in the Nicobars, their everyday

realities and the challenges they face. However, we also include here a few instances and experiences

from the Island of Little Andamans since it houses Nicobari tribals in one settlement.

The document was conceptualized during interactions of the TISS team with tsunami survivors

and others affected in the Nicobar group of islands. The information collected was then collated

and cross-checked with data sourced from government records. This working paper is not intended

to criticize the efforts of the government, but to portray the daily struggles of the tribal communities:

people living on the edge because of a high degree of uncertainty. We gratefully acknowledge the

critical and incisive comments of Mr. Pankaj Seksaria, Kalpavrisksha.

Structure

The document comprises two parts. The first part outlines the context, challenges and the

way forward. We discuss pointers to what may work for the Nicobar Islands, based on our

two years’ engagement in the area and what we have learnt from the wisdom of locals.

The second part is an abridged version of a report on habitat and housing, and has been authored

by Mr. Mohan S. Rao of Integrated (INDÉ) Design, Bangalore. This report, prepared in early 2005

when he worked as a partner with the TISS team in Katchal, was the culmination of close interactions

with the Chief Secretary and Finance Secretary, in the period following the tsunami. It offers key

principles for habitat planning and also critiques the Town and Country Planning (TCPO) proposal.

Although the report prepared by Mr. Mohan S. Rao was widely circulated among the key decision-

The Nicobar Islands

ii

makers, its recommendations seem to have been bypassed. It remains extremely relevant even

today, as the decisions on housing have been insensitive to the local context of island ecology

and traditional habitats and the people continue to struggle on an everyday basis.

TISS’s role in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands

In response to the Indian Ocean tsunami in 2004, the TISS has worked with the local

communities and the government in relief and long-term rehabilitation. Starting with an

assessment and providing relief on Katchal, TISS’s role moved on to offering support to the

ANI administration in gathering key data to inform the relief and rehabilitation process,

especially on Katchal island. A rapid assessment of livelihoods was also undertaken in the Nicobars.

Eventually, a training programme was organized for Nicobari youth on concepts and practices

related to sustainable development with a clear focus on democratic governance of Union

Territories in India. This programme was implemented in partnership with Action Aid India

and the ANI administration.

The training programme proved to be relevant. It has, since then, expanded into a Diploma

programme on Sustainable Development. The trainees are back on their respective islands

and are working under a banner they call the ‘Dosti’1 group. This fosters a relationship for

regular sharing, support and exchange of ideas and experiences amongst the youth. In January

2007, one knowledge centre was set up in Car Nicobar, the first in the region, by the Agriculture

Department. Subsequently several such centres have been set up in many islands like Teressa,

Katchal and Kamorta. TISS has committed its support to these centres, enabling their expansion

as community-based resource centres along with the ‘Dosti’ group.

TISS, through the Jamsetji Tata Centre for Disaster Management, continues to work closely

with the people of the Nicobar Islands, giving voice to their struggles, providing critical feedback

on government practices, amplifying areas of collaboration and working towards enhancing

local level participation in decisions that affect the communities.

S. Parasuraman

Director, TISS.

1. ‘Dosti’ in several of the Indian languages means friendship and signifies camaraderi, solidarity and mutual support.

iii

A long way to go

Executive Summary

This working paper is a precursor to a more substantive research study on the

situation in the Nicobar islands. On 26th December 2004, a tsunami set off by

an underwater earthquake hit South Asia. The Andaman and Nicobar islands (ANI) took

the brunt of the tidal waves. Within the ANI, the southern group of islands – the Nicobar islands

– was the area worst affected. As relief and recovery processes approach the third ‘anniversary’

of the disaster, this working paper highlights situations that need urgent attention in the Nicobar

islands. It aims at identifying specific concerns and questions that islanders have, about their

entitlements and basic rights – including the rights to livelihood, education and healthcare.

Further, it outlines areas where close collaboration is required among duty-bearers and the

community, in order to ensure that the Nicobar islanders - regardless of their tribal/non-tribal

status, place of origin, and  the like, get fair treatment and access to their entitlements. It

comes as part of the Tata Institute of Social Sciences’ (TISS) response and support to the tsunami

survivors in the ANI.

The concerns are addressed to all those who are in positions of authority and duty and hence

are already familiar with the realities of the islands. Descriptions and detailing are thus kept to

a minimal level. In the first part of the document, the context, challenges and the way

forward are outlined. The second part offers key principles for habitat planning and also

critiques the Town and Country Planning (TCPO) proposal. The context outlines the main

features  of the Nicobar Islands, it’s geographical spread over 1841 kilometres,

population and density in the inhabited islands of the district, including the significant

Scheduled Tribe population. This forms the background for the concern areas raised by the

Nicobari people.

The challenges in the Nicobar Islands are outlined next, beginning with transport and

connectivity problems. Each challenge area is illustrated with the help of case stories from the

various Nicobar islands, and, where possible, photographs to visualise the situation. The other

issues outlined include the quality and access to education and health services, water supply.

It then lays down the need to work on vigilance to conserve the local environment and the

need for sensitivity in dealing with the communities indigenous to the Nicobars. The expenditure

of tsunami funds is also referred to, in order to highlight both achievements as well as gaps.

The livelihood problems of the people in the Nicobars are covered, as is the issue of access to

information. Finally, the exclusion experienced by communities is discussed briefly. The way

forward, this paper suggests, is to put people at the centre of rehabilitation efforts. Planning

for the sub-region must keep as its focus social and environmental justice, highlighting both

conservation as well as equity. The approach to indigenous people must similarly be  socially

The Nicobar Islands

iv

just. The various welfare schemes of the government need incisive planning and delivery

mechanisms to reach out to people effectively.

The second part of the working paper critiques the government policy of constructing houses

using pre-fabricated materials, instead of rebuilding houses in traditional way, using locally

available resources. The solution proffered needs to be questioned as to its appropriateness,

its timeliness, sustainability and sensitivity to local realities. Reconstruction, in the same way,

needs to address the local concerns, needs, available resources, both natural and human, the

strengths, human rights and culture. The report suggests alternatives to the government’s

plan, an alternative that answers all the requirements spelt out, for housing to be suited to

the people. The alternatives suggested are illustrated with the help of plan diagrams. A

participatory approach to rehabilitation, the author emphasizes, would take into account the

local lifestyle, homes, costs, feasibility of external intervention, the future of the place, its

climate, environment and the identity of the islands. A review of the TCPO proposal shows

that materials recommended for building houses, including steel, are inappropriate in terms

of cost as well as suitability to climate and culture. The report also suggests a phased

construction that takes into account socio-cultural as well as economic aspects.

v

A long way to go

Part AIssues, challengesand the wayforward

The Nicobar Islands

2

1. The Context

The Andaman and Nicobar Islands

(ANI) have for long sat on the very

edges of the mainstream Indian

consciousness. In recent years they are

known mostly as a tourist haven and as

India’s strategic outpost, valuable for

their military significance.

Geographically, the ANI are segregated

from the nearest Indian mainland by

around 1000 kilometers, a distance

compounded by certain socio-political

factors. The series of 572 tropical

islands, (which are tops of an underwater hill range from Myanmar to Indonesia), they have

increasingly been projected – both by the government and the media, as a tourist getaway.

Beyond this, a regular flow of information and media coverage about the islands and the

islanders is not easily forthcoming. Reasons behind this are largely topographical –

connectivity problems with Port Blair, and to an extent, strategic, owing to national security

concerns. This isolation has most serious consequences in the Nicobar group of islands,

which are the southern part of the ANI.

The ANI shot into prominence in the aftermath of the December 2004 tsunami, as the area

‘most affected’ by the underwater quake and tidal waves. The status and future of the Islands’

356,152 inhabitants (Census 2001) was brought to the fore and the Andaman and Nicobar

administration as well as a range of non-governmental organizations set up operations to

bring relief to survivors and to rehabilitate the affected people.

The Nicobar group of islands was the worst-hit in India, accounting for most of the ANI’s dead or

missing people. As a restricted area under the Andaman and Nicobar Protection of Aboriginal

Tribes Regulation of 1956 (ANPTAR 1956), the government exercised caution over giving permissions

to NGOs to set up operations. The ANI command comprising the Army, Navy and the Air Force

provided considerable support in rescue operations, evacuation and in supplying relief.

The Nicobars cover an area of 1841 square kilometers and constitute about one-fourth of the

total area of the ANI. According to the Census reports (2001) the total length of Nicobar

Islands is 259 kilometers. Although all the islands are of varying shapes and sizes, their average

width is about 58 kilometers.

3

A long way to go

Despite the apparent isolation of the ANI, the Nicobar

Islands were in fact an important stop-over for trading

vessels passing from Europe to South East Asia till at

least the 16th century. They served as a refueling port

and as a centre for trade in copra , areca and betel

nuts. This exposed the Nicobari tribal community to

external influences, facilitating a social interface with

the rest of the world, however limited. The Nicobari

tribal group is the only one to have thrived, from

among the 6 tribal groups in the ANI. The other

indigenous group in the Nicobars – the Shompens –

report only a few hundred in numbers.

Covered by the ANPTAR (1956), entry to the Nicobar group of islands is strictly restricted.

All the islands have been declared as Tribal Reserve Area, with the exception of the eastern

coast of the Great Nicobar Island.

Official estimates show that the Katchal Island (see map) was the worst hit by the tsunami,

with 1551 of its 5312 officially listed people, dead. For reasons other than those based

purely on death toll; however, the focus of relief efforts – both from the ANI administration

and the NGOs was on Car Nicobar, Nancowry and Campbell Bay.

The Nicobar Islands constitute a district with two ‘tehsils’: Car Nicobar and Nancowry. The

total population of the district was 42,068. The Car Nicobar ‘tehsil’ is a single island with 16

villages and a total population of 20,292 of which 10,666 were tribals. The Nancowry ‘tehsil’,

on the other hand, has 12 islands with 175 villages and a population of 21,776 of which

11,110 were tribals (all figures from the 2001 Census). The smallest island in the Nicobars is

Pilomilow and the largest is Great Nicobar, followed by Kamorta, Katchal, Little Nicobar and

Car Nicobar.

Of the total of 22, islands 13 were inhabited in the Nicobar district before the tsunami. There

are only 7 revenue villages and 191 census villages in the Nicobars. The population and the

area covered by each of the islands in the Nicobars are given in the table 1 below.

The figures on density clearly indicate the variable population concentrations on each of the

Nicobar islands. Although the average density is about 23, the variation on each of the islands

is very high, with nearly 170 on Chowra and as low as 0.7 on Tillang Chong and 2.2 on Little

Nicobar. After the tsunami, Trinket was evacuated and so were Bompoka, Chowra and Tillang

Chong. People are gradually going back after the two years-long wait for the government to

deliver its promises about rehabilitation.

Chowra, a high density Island : Nicobari tribalsbuild and launch their traditional hodi (boat),two years after the tsunami.

The Nicobar Islands

4

Table 1: The Population Density of islands in the Nicobar district

No. Name of Island Area Population Density Density

(in Nicobar district) (sq. km.) (2001 Census) (2001) (1991)

1. Car Nicobar 126.9 20,292 159.9 151.0

2. Chowra 008.2 1,385 168.9 149.0

3. Tillang Chong 016.8 13 000.7 000.0

4. Teressa 101.4 2,026 19.8 017.5

5. Bampoka 013.3 55 004.1 004.0

6. Katchal 174.4 5,312 030.4 029.0

7. Kamorta 188.2 3,412 018.1 015.2

8. Nancowry 066.9 927 013.8 014.1

9. Trinket 086.3 432 005.0 004.0

10. Little Nicobar 159.1 353 002.2 001.1

11. Kondul 004.6 150 032.0 003.0

12. Pilomilow 001.3 145 111.5 069.2

13. Great Nicobar 1045.1 7,566 007.24 006.3

Total: 1841 42,068 022.85 11.1

A large part of the Nicobars (1,542 of the 1841sq. kms) are protected forests and the Nicobarese

and Shompens generally live in settlements which are scattered over the islands. In contrast,

facilities such as schools, health centres (where they exist), administrative offices and shops are

located close to one another, in a cluster. After the tsunami, the density of population has risen

sharply in places like Campbell Bay where about 8000 people live, within a 3 kms radius, in

temporary tin shelters.

Table 2: Scheduled Tribe Population in the Nicobar Islands (2001 Census)

Sr. No. Island Male Female Total

1. Car Nicobar 7914 7985 15899

2. Chowra 695 681 1376

3. Katchal 1372 1290 2662

4. Bampoka 30 25 55

5. Teressa 944 882 1826

6. Nancowry 439 442 881

7. Kamorta 968 886 1854

8. Trinket 232 197 429

9. Pilomilo 74 64 138

10. Little Nicobar 183 162 345

11. Kondul 75 66 141

12. Great Nicobar 572 383 955

13. Tillang Chong 4 Nil 4

Source: Island-wise Statistical Outline, 2005, Directorate of Economics & Statistics, Andamans & Nicobar Administration, Port Blair

5

A long way to go

Earlier, Nicobari settlements were typically close to the coasts; they have now moved inwards into

the islands. Many of the areas where the old villages were located are now under water due to the

subduction of the India plate.

According to official figures, a total of 3,513 people have died or are missing after the tsunami in the

ANI. Since the Nicobars took the brunt of the tidal waves and earthquakes, social expenditure patterns,

especially in relief and reconstruction, should focus on these islands. However, the ability of various

departments to spend on specific amenities is directly linked to transport and regular connectivity as

well as to the availability of living quarters for government staff on each of the Islands.

Most people continue to live in makeshift tin settlements

where the situation deteriorates during monsoons with

stagnant pools of water and uncleared garbage clogging

the natural drainage channels and settlements. In a region

known for its natural beauty, Islanders still find it difficult

to access life-saving health care or quality primary

education. In the absence of motorable roads connectivity

continues to be a challenge area. Livelihood options are

scarce. Tribal lands are, in certain areas, threatened to be

commandeered by the State. Other changes, set in motion

by post-tsunami responses, seriously threaten lives and livelihoods of the Nicobar Islanders.

The tribal people are continuously losing traditional access to and control over their resources

due to ad hoc decision-making by government departments, absence of spatial planning and

pressure from non-indigenous people.

The issue of command over resources is particularly important for the tribal people and is also

central to the constitutional safeguards of indigenous communities. The major issue before members

of the Scheduled Tribes (STs) is due recognition of their traditional access to resources and

safeguarding them against the backlash of so-called development.

One of the principal concerns for the tribes is ‘influx’ of non-tribals and outsiders, leading to a

gradual impoverishment and erosion of traditional cultural practices. The impoverishment takes

place in various ways. The forest department’s threat to tribals to prevent them from using timber

for rebuilding traditional houses, shopkeepers selling goods at exorbitant rates, selling alcohol

(IMFL) and fuel (LPG gas cylinders, diesel and petrol) at prices that are two or three times that of

the official market rate, promoting sale of consumer durables such as DVDs, washing machines,

motorcycles, and in some cases, even a car. These concerns are voiced not only by local communities

and elders, but also by sensitive government officials at various levels.

The next section presents the challenges that are faced by the people and by those who are

working on rehabilitation and rebuilding of lives ever since the tsunami struck in December 2004.

A view of the destruction caused by the tsunamiin the Nicobar Islands

The Nicobar Islands

6

The old jetty on Teressa Islands, destroyed bythe tsunami

The new jetty that developed major crackswithin weeks of its construction

2. Challenges

Insularity and remoteness typically result in high external transport costs, time

delays and high per capita costs for infrastructure and services in the Nicobar

Islands. Costs in accessing external goods are high and with increasing distance from the

capital, one observes a reduced quality in information flow. As in most small island economies

of the world, and also amongst the tribal areas, the immediate interdependence in human-

environment systems is high. The Administration, on its part, faces the challenges of a limited

human resource base and a small population concentrated in coastal zones, resulting in poor

economies of scale. Under these circumstances, the task of post-disaster reconstruction is not

an easy one.

In this chapter, we outline the major challenge areas that confront the Nicobar islanders today.

2.1 Transport and Connectivity

The entire chain of islands is characterized by coastlines

with creeks, backwaters and lagoons on both sides. Some

of the best and safest harbours in the world are found in

ANI. Port Blair is one example and in the Nicobars the

Nancowry harbour provides safe anchorage to large

vessels (Dhingra 2005). However, many harbours are

accessible only by small vessels. For example, Car Nicobar

and Great Nicobar are the most populous islands but they

do not have all- weather harbours. Before the tsunami

Campbell Bay on Great Nicobar and Mus on Car Nicobar

had fair weather harbours. During monsoons, ships

anchored at a distance from the jetty and passengers

had to get on to a pontoon to get to the shore which

required expertise and skill in managing the rolling and

pitching. Wind speeds can go up to 20 knots between

June and August, accompanied by heavy rains. The

months of October to December bring the North-

Easterlies and tropical cyclones with wind speeds as high

as 48 to 63 knots.

For the Nicobars, the inter-land ship service is of extreme significance to transport supplies,

goods, medicines and, of course, people (some of them in need of medical care). People travelling

to Katchal, Chowra, Teressa, Pilpilo and Kondul find that the schedules of ships are highly

7

A long way to go

Transferring passengers from ship to boat inthe open sea

erratic.  When the ships do reach an island, they may

not go all the way to the jetty and might only drop off

people, while ignoring to pick up waiting passengers

and patients from the island. Even after two years, the

jetties are not constructed on all the islands. The height

differential between the small boat and the inter-island

ferry makes the transfer of the sick, the elderly and of

women, trecherous, especially during monsoons, and

in bad weather. The fact that people have no choice but

to risk their lives, using boats with outboard engines, is

a sad reality of the Nicobars. 

The quality of ships and their sea-worthiness needs to be looked at. There are some reported

instances of the Masters and crew managing the ships in an inebriated state: steps to prevent

such instances are the need of the hour. The Shipping Corporation of India and the administration,

which manage the inter-island shipping services, both need to take note.

Case story: Travails of inter island travel

“On 20 Jan 2007 MV Camorta reached Katchal, but not the jetty, and left everyone waiting,

stranded. Those who were desperate to reach Kamorta, then had to hire a small at an

exorbitant cost of Rs.5000, managed by a drunken boatman.  The journey took 3 hours (and

several prayers and crossed fingers) over the choppy open sea.  It was certainly not safe.”

- Joyce (name changed), 60 years, who was trying to reach the Hospital at Kamorta 

The Director of Shipping however points out that repair facilities are rudimentary on the

Islands. For a territory where sea links constitute the primary transportation mode, the ANI

needs concerted investment by way of a fully equipped yard with repair, servicing and

maintenance facilities. As of today, ships in need of repair have to be sent to mainland ports

such as Chennai or Kolkata, involving a long period away from service. Replacements are not

easily available. The ship Kalighat, for instance, which plies between Port Blair and Campbell

Bay, has been commissioned 20 years after it was first requisitioned.

The average rainfall is 3180 mm which falls over 180 days of the year, accounting for the

erratic transport systems. People often find themselves stranded at jetties, having come all

the way from remote villages only to find the boat cancelled. The Nicobari Youth Association

(NYA) has built a waiting- hall with bathing and toilet facilities for tribal people travelling to

and from Kamorta. This initiative needs to be replicated across the islands as a conscious plan

by the administration, in partnership with the tribal communities.

The Nicobar Islands

8

A high school damaged during the tsunami onKatchal Island

Case story: Connectivity issues for the island of Chowra

Chowra, with a population of over 1000 people, remains deprived of a regular transport system for

the most part. Records show that the Pavan Hans helicopter has landed only twice in the period July

2006 – March 2007, once for an inspection visit and another time for an MP’s visit. It has never been

pressed into service for emergency evacuations or to provide support to the locals.

Before the tsunami, when there was only one helicopter, it was dedicated for use in the Nicobars.

Chowra was on the flying schedule on the second and fourth Thursday each month. The

commissioning of a second helicopter, has not increased frequency to the islands; it has in fact

seen a diversion of services to Havelock, Mayabandar and Diglipur.

Incidentally, Havelock is a popular tourist destination and the schedule (Saturday and Mondays)

seems to take care of touring officials who can spend their weekends at Havelock, traveling on

concessional rates. The locals are asking if helicopter services to Havelock are justified at all,

since it is only 20 minutes by helicopter and is well-connected by boats.

2.2 Education

As a result of massive efforts launched by the Sarva

Shiksha Abhiyan and NGOs the enrollment rates have

increased (Source: Basic Statistics, 2004-2005,

Directorate of Economics and Statistics, Andaman and

Nicobar Administration, Port Blair). However the

quality of teaching remains questionable. A few

teachers double up to take all subjects, often struggling

to meet the demands of a government policy to offer

education in four mediums: Tamil, English, Hindi and

Telegu. The result is grim – a pass percentage of 10-15% only, in places like the Little Andamans.

Teachers feel that the distances and lack of proper housing facilities act as the largest de-

motivating factor.

The students, on the other hand, have a different story to tell. Even the poorest of families complain

about the quality of the midday meals, an issue brought up time and again, to no avail. Children

also complain of corporal punishments meted out by teachers and the general lack of interest and

commitment to teaching.

Private schools, where present, differ widely in terms of quality. In Campbell Bay, for instance,

one school runs in a converted animal shed, with 92 children and 6 teachers. The other school

is fully equipped, with even a computer room. The government schools come somewhere in

between these two extremes. Common problems include safe and clean toilet facilities

9

A long way to go

(especially for girls), drinking water, equipments in school-rooms and regular, adequate numbers

of teachers.

School teachers as well as students need residential and hostel facilities respectively, to ensure that

teaching is regular. An example is Teressa Islands, where the only secondary school was washed

away in the tsunami and now awaits coordination efforts by the duty-bearers, to get rebuilt.

Efforts are on, especially by the Principal of the school, to get things moving, but the process

seems extremely slow.

The teachers employed by the Central government, like many other government officials, are

posted in the islands for 6 months. They are often recruited from Port Blair or even from

mainland India, and are not provided with adequate lodging and boarding facilities. This

affects their drive to take classes regularly and to contribute to the process of improving the

current status of education, in terms of accessibility and quality.

For example, Chowra has a school now, but the people point out, that the teachers are

posted for a 3-month period of which several weeks go by, before they arrive from Port Blair.

The teachers return at the stipulated end of their 3-month terms, leaving the locals unable to

comprehend the system at all. They are looking for an explanation for this strange functioning

of the school and the education department.

Moreover, a larger issue looms: there is a need to significantly restructure and tailor the system of

education to suit the requirements of the tribal people. Vocational training, especially to enable

the tribes to utilise the locally available resources more productively, (particularly those relating to

coconut and other agricultural or forest produce) can be one such potential area.

Case story: An attempt to improve midday meals

In the Little Andamans, an NGO working with children generated child-rights awareness, that

eventually led to children voicing their concerns about the quality of mid-day meals. The children’s

group then decided to write a complaint to the school Principal.

The Principal, on receiving the complaint, accused the NGO of instigating the children. The NGO tried

to convince him otherwise, but to no avail. The NGO then mobilized parents who succeeded in arranging

for a parent-teacher meeting. At the meeting, however, the Principal spoke without giving anyone else

a chance. After putting up with his speech for two hours, the parents left the meeting, their complaint

unheard. The government officers in charge, said that they had received no complaint from the Principal

on the quality of the midday meals, in fact, he had reported of being highly satisfied with it.

What underlies the problem is that most of the parents are poor and haven’t been to school and

college. They are up against an institutional system and a bureaucracy that is inaccessible and is

unresponsive to their needs and concerns.

The Nicobar Islands

10

2.3 Health services

It has been pointed out in all official documents that the health infrastructure and the

population coverage of health-care facilities is impressive (NIPEP, 2005). The fact that there

was no outbreak of epidemics in the period following the disaster in the Nicobars is

indeed noteworthy. Although reports indicate that the tribal areas are well-covered, the

experience of the Nicobari people during 2005-2006 suggests that health services leave much

to be desired.

The single doctor at the Primary Healthcare Centre in Hut Bay, for instance, is overworked

and does not have the required medications. Malaria, which is endemic to the islands, often

proves fatal. Patients with more complicated diseases require a doctor’s certificate to be

airlifted by a helicopter to Port Blair. This is not easy to accomplish. A solitary X-ray machine

lies idle for want of a technician to operate it. Abortion facilities are not available. Even the

simplest of surgeries would require an expensive visit to Port Blair on ship. Campbell Bay

has seen more than 24 deaths during the six months period from June to December 2006.

In March-April 2007, the incidence of malaria had risen sharply. People have felt agitated

and angry about the doctor, who was largely seen as incompetent and uncaring.

The hardships experienced by people who wish to resettle in their original areas of living but

are deterred by the absence of basic amenities, can only be understood when one listens to

the woes of patients who try to get treatment from government institutions.

Clearly, healthcare services on the Nicobar Islands score low on all four counts : accessibility,

accountability, adequacy and affordability.

In the aftermath of the tsunami, the administration intensified its work in the area with a

four-fold objective:

• to provide immediate relief to disaster victims in the form of curative health services

• to prevent epidemics

• to build the communities’ capacity to cope with

psychological effects of a disaster

• to build the communities’ capacities to adopt health-

promoting activities in their daily lives.

Of these, the first two objectives have clearly been

achieved, and this is no mean achievement. The last

two objectives, however, remain only on paper.A nurse writes out medication at the primaryhealthcare centre, Chowra

11

A long way to go

Most islands have health sub-centres. The only major Government hospital in the entire ANI

is located at Port Blair. Patients are dependant on the shipping services to reach this hospital.

In case of dire emergencies, a patient can be airlifted by helicopter, but only with a certificate

from doctors in Car Nicobar, Kamorta and Campbell Bay. The people in the rest of the

islands, as may well be imagined, experience considerable difficulty in requisitioning

emergency evacuation.

Case story: Death of a pregnant woman and her new born

In April 2007, a nine months pregnant woman, Mary Joel, was sought to be evacuated by the

doctor in Campbell Bay by a helicopter. The norms require that the patient is to be evacuated

along with the paramedic. A nurse was sent since she also had to reach Port Blair for an interview

for a permanent position.

Mary Joel was already in labour pain and by the time the helicopter reached Car Nicobar she felt

that she could not go any further. She was taken to the hospital at Car Nicobar where she

delivered a baby who died in five hours due to complications and the following day Mary Joel

too died with none of the relatives beside her. The Tribal Council of Car Nicobar was summoned

and her last rites were performed in Car Nicobar itself.

Where does this death get recorded? Not in Campbell Bay. Does Car Nicobar report the case in

the hospital? The Nicobars have innumerable stories of such deaths which interestingly do not

get reflected in statistics.

In areas with a high population density, like Campbell Bay, the healthcare requirements of

the population are certainly higher than before the tsunami. Survivors have been living in

tin shelters for the past two years, with poor sanitation and non-existent waste-disposal

systems. The single primary healthcare centre provides basic healthcare only. Since road

networks are still in the process of being built or rebuilt, ambulance services to bring the

sick or injured quickly to the primary healthcare center are a dire necessity. Drivers will also

be required to man the ambulances during the day and at night.

A well-planned system of waste disposal would address the root cause of many of the

communicable diseases prevalent on the Islands, such as tuberculosis, hepatitis and malaria.

After the tsunami, a large area was covered with debris, rotting wood, metal junk, large

amounts of plastic and tetrapacks and stagnant water pools, providing a free breeding

ground for mosquitoes. Efficient removal of the garbage would have taken care of preventing

diseases like malaria to an extent.

The Nicobar Islands

12

Case story: The quality of primary healthcare

In one of the islands, a single primary healthcare centre (PHC) serves a current population of

approximately 10,000 people. The staff strength for the 28-bed facility and an outpatient unit

is just three — one is a doctor, one, a nurse and the last, a ward boy. Besides being severely

understaffed, the PHC faces generic problems such as power cuts and an inadequate water

supply, the quality of which is questionable. Staff members report that they sometimes have to

carry on with minor operations in the dark, and are also forced to give the unsafe

dr inking water to pat ients, jeopardiz ing chances of recovery. Medic ines often

reach very near their expiry dates. Maintaining cold chains for vaccinations is difficult. When

someone misses out on a vaccination, the purpose of the exercise itself is defeated.

2.4 Water supply

Potable drinking water remains the biggest problem in most of the Nicobar islands. In the far

interiors, people used natural water sources before the tsunami. Many villages near the shores

also had sweet water wells. The tsunami affected the ground water level and quality, with

many sweet water wells turning saline. Some villages will continue to survive on natural streams,

till pipelines are constructed.

In temporary shelters, women, who are primarily responsible for collecting water, have to stay

home to catch the half-hour per- day of water supply. This water is not safe for drinking and is

the cause of most health problems. Everywhere, the

water supply falls far short of the daily per capita

demand. On islands like Teressa and Chowra, people

harvest rainwater for non-potable water uses. This

method works, since the average rainfall in the area is

in the range of 3000-3800 mm a year. However, people

need to be educated on the building of pucca tanks to

store rainwater and on creating and maintaining

rainwater harvesting systems.

The administration plans to cover all islands with

essential structures such as ponds and wells to cover

drinking water needs, by the end of 2007. People require safe, potable water, for which

long-term measures, need to be carefully thought out including the carrying capacity of

each island.

Recently, a Reverse Osmosis (RO) plant for water purification has been set up in Chowra.

Coming as it does after two years of the disaster, it is a belated, but a welcome initiative by the

ANI Administration.

The newly installed Reverse Osmosis (RO) plantin Chowra

13

A long way to go

Case story: Pilpilow gets drinking water supply

In Pilpilow village, Kamorta, a settlement with over 1000 people was drawing drinking water

from a small stream, almost a trickle. This was brought to the attention of the DC Nicobars, who

followed it through with the Junior Engineers and within 10 days Pilpilow had water. Pilpilow has

remained unconnected to a water supply scheme till two years ago. This highlights the fact that

although government records show several areas as having water supply, many settlements

continue to struggle for water.

2.5 Education and Vigilance to conserve the environment

With a virtual construction boom on the islands, sand mining is reported by residents of

almost all the populous islands – Great Nicobar, Kamorta, Katchal, Car Nicobar and others. 

Smaller islands like Trinket have also seen mining. Policing is virtually non-existent and the

lone Station House Officer (SHO) on an island as large as Katchal (population of nearly 4000)

is somehow unable to take action against such operations.  Mining often take place at

night, but, the islands are small places and information of these operations does get around. 

If the matter is reported to the Assistant Commissioner, taking action follows a typical long-

drawn process not efficient enough to stop illegal sand mining immediately. Community-

based vigilance mechanisms seem to be the need of the day, with appropriate links to the

administrative machinery. However the administration’s capacity for outreach work is

very limited.

A proposal to deem 50 percent of the ANI as forest area instead of the present 80 percent is

doing the rounds of the administration. The argument goes as follows: In the rest of India, the

forest- cover is only one-third. Why should the ANI carry the burden of maintaining extra forest-

cover and bio-diversity, thus losing the economic opportunity in the form of timber, tourism and

development of allied infrastructure?

There is a need to instill greater environmental consciousness and cultural sensitivity towards

indigenous communities amongst bureaucrats who take decisions about reconstruction, in

Delhi (in the Urban Development Department) or in line departments in Port Blair.  When the

relevance of law is not understood, flouting such laws is seen as a “harmless” activity, and is

even justified, if necessitated by exigencies of the situation. 

In the absence of a long-term vision and plan for each island, competing ideas and proposals

from the various government departments create newer challenges. For example, the

presence of large number of people brought into the Nicobars from the mainland by

construction contractors to work as labourers stretch vital services such as water supply and

healthcare services.

The Nicobar Islands

14

2.6 Sensitivity in dealing with indigenous communities

The challenges of working in the Nicobars are indeed complex. A simple distinction of tribal -

non-tribal does not hold since the people from Jharkhand were brought in the early 20th

century and have made Nicobars their home. The Sri Lankan expatriates were settled in Katchal

with people from Kerala Rubber Board claiming rights to reside. Ex-servicemen were also

brought by the government to “occupy” these islands and continue to assert their rights. The

labourers brought by various construction agencies have often stayed back as they saw a

better life for themselves on these islands. Intermarriages between these mainlanders and the

Nicobaris have further complicated the issues of a tribal identity. While in Car Nicobar the

church plays an important role, in Nancowry there are plans of constructing a mosque.

The tendency of the ‘mainlanders’ or settler committees’ to appropriate resources and continue

to claim their entitlements is high. The ethnic identities of being a Tamil, Malayali or a Bengali

are used to mutual advantage on the islands at social, political and economic levels. The state

must also recognize its role in structuring these identities granting special favours in various

forms – right from recruitment in permanent positions in various departments to granting

special entitlements to specific categories of people.

The Shompens

On the Great Nicobar, the Shompens are an indigenous nomadic community engaged in fishing,

hunting and gathering fruits and roots. They are of Mongoloid origin and lived in forests in

relative harmony with the Nicobarese who were largely based along the coastal areas. Their

population has increased from about 71 in 1961 to about 329 in 1998 and estimated to be

about 380 currently.

About 400 ex-servicemen have been settled in the Great Nicobar. In 1971, the Border Roads

Organisation brought in their workers to construct roads running through the very forest areas

where the Shompen lived. Both these factors have greatly disturbed the Shompens.

According to Dhingra (2005, p.112),

“There is no evidence that any thought was spared for an understanding of the

Shompen lifestyle and food requirements when the area for settlement was

appropriated, or any attempt was made to demarcate it with their welfare in mind.

Presuming one part of the forest to be very like all other parts, and concluding

superficially that the island had enough land mass to satisfy all contending claims,

the forest department’s concern for timber then being uppermost….the decision

was taken to turn 30 percent of the island to agriculture, starting with the flat

cultivable paddy land.”

15

A long way to go

The Shompens moved north and away from the southern part of the island. They were

affected severely by the loss of prime pandanus growing areas, the depletion of the wild

boar and the exploitation by the settlement traders. Following BD Sharma’s1 advice that

restoring ecological balance should be the first step towards restoring a tribe, a scheme for

Shompens was started in 1984 with the construction of a Shompen Hut Complex. They

were induced to settle there because of pandanus, pigs, and other items that they look for

as they lead a nomadic life. Medical care and balwadis were also to be provided to influence

children. The centre has degenerated to a place where they are provided free rations and

presents – rice, pulses, sugar, tobacco, cloth and utensils. Since 1990s, the increased contacts

have driven most Shompens to visit Campbell Bay to barter their honey and other forest

produce with the Tribal Welfare Department in return for rice and other commodities. The

quality and nature of this interface needs careful attention so as to ensure that they do not

meet the same fate as the Jarawas in the Andamans2 .

Local officials, (representing specific administrative departments) often precipitate conflicts

since they are said to “control” basic amenities such as water supply and electricity on the

islands and in specific settlements. They sometimes behave in a high-handed and arrogant

manner. They might not provide services that the tribals are entitled to, as a demonstration

of the power that the officials wield.

The incident narrated in the box on the next page is a grim reminder of the conflict between

tribals and the administrative officials who are posted on the islands. Most of the ANI are

protected by the ANPTR, 1956. Officials must thus be made sensitive about the government’s

obligations towards tribals and their responsibility to respect the dignity of tribals.

1 Dr. BD Sharma, Retired IAS officer, Former Commisioner of the Scheduled Castes and Tribes, Government of

India, is a prominent thinker and activist on tribal rights in India.

2 The Jarawas are one of the oldest inhabitants, a hunting-gathering nomadic tribe living in virtual isolation in the

Andaman islands. Fiercely independent they avoid contact with all outsiders. Their numbers have decreased

systematically from 280 in the 1991 Census to 240 in the 2001 Census. This is attributed by experts to the

mindless contact with mainlanders, heightened by the Andaman Trunk Road.

The Nicobar Islands

16

Case story: Clash between tribals and the local administration

Tribals in Meenakshi Ramnagar on Katchal Island, for instance, are unhappy about the erratic

power supply, which they believe is intentional discrimination. On 10th December 2006, a request

was made to the Junior Engineer (JE) by Donald Samuel, the Chairman of the Tribal Council of

Katchal,, to maintain the power supply for a function in the Church. The request was not granted,

citing “short notice” as a reason. Subsequently the power supply remained erratic. On 12th December

2006, people launched a spontaneous protest and threw stones at the power house. It required

police intervention to prevent a flare-up.

On the following day, December 13th, when the Assistant Commissioner Mr SC Tyagi came to

Katchal from his office in Kamorta Island, the tribals expressed their ire by preventing him from

boarding a vehicle at Katchal and compelled him to walk a distance of 2.5 kilometers from the

jetty to Meenakshi Ramnagar.

The electricity problem seems to be resolved for now, but the tension is expected to persist.

Officials posted on the Islands should be given a detailed run-down on the Constitutional Rights

of tribal people, the laws, legislations and the nature of irregularities sometimes perpetrated by

officialdom itself. The other possibility is to empower the community by informing them about

ways and means of representing their grievances in a democratic state, as also the use of the

Right to Information Act, to demand information from relevant officials (as listed in the ANI

administration’s website).

At the level of Chief Secretary and District Commissioner, there is need to reflect upon the

effectiveness of informal and entrenched systems that the administration itself has endorsed

and accepted for years. Environmental sustainability and social justice both need to be

upheld in the ANI and all the administrative staff need to develop a perspective on

these issues.

2.7 Expenditure of tsunami funds

In a bid to ensure transparency, the administration has, in 2006, printed a progress report,

citing expenditure on development works carried out by the government after the tsunami. It

also gives an account of the expenditure of the Central budgetary allocation.

While there is no denying that the injection of public resources has yielded some benefits, several

questions remain, concerning their efficient utilisation. There is a need to re-assess these schemes,

to identify the appropriate skills and technology that are best suited for the ANI and its culture.

For instance, a total of Rs. 64.992 crores is said to have been disbursed as tsunami relief funds to

88,490 people (Digal, 2006). However, disaggregated data for the Nicobars is not easily available.

17

A long way to go

Conversely enough, the relief aid money has found its way into the pockets of shopkeepers

and traders. For instance, the co-operative store owner in Hut Bay, who had stacked up the

store with electrical and electronic goods and even foreign-made chocolates, reports a ‘fast

movement’ of the goods. In an area beset with basic problems like erratic, inadequate power

and water supply, and unsatisfactory education, transport and health facilities, it is ironic that

compensation money is spent on conspicuous consumption, at the cost of basic needs.

Making allowance for the right to choose avenues for spending, it must be pointed out that

other avenues for using the compensation money, such as banking options, or workable, new

livelihood options, are not available, avenues wherein the monies can be invested meaningfully.

In a noteworthy gesture, the Development Commissioner’s report on post-tsunami livelihood

measures, lists expenditures by all NGOs – a total of 22 NGOs with a total budget of Rs.

14000.70 lakhs over the period 2005-2006.The list also includes expenditure proposed for

the future. A separate list of 22 NGOs that, as the report says, have “not submitted information

despite reminders” has also been published.

This is a welcome move and needs follow-up in terms of impact assessment, not just of the

NGOs’ efforts but also those by the government. Only then would the true spirit of transparency

exemplified by the recently passed Right to Information Act be honoured.

However, budget and expenditure statements do not give data disaggregated by tehsils and

villages. It is therefore important to understand that despite spending, the situation of several

thousand people living in specific settlements remains tenuous. An analysis of the expenditure

component (island- and village-wise) would be extremely helpful.

Excerpts from a government report: Government schemes in post-tsunami times

Several schemes for the welfare of the tribals are now in operation. For example, under the

Prime Minister’s Gramodaya Yojana (PMGY), in Car Nicobar, pucca houses were to be provided

to the tribals, but given the volume of funds available, each of the families have been provided

with tin roofs (@ of Rupees 22,000 per family) for the present. Sometimes the inability to identify

the desired beneficiaries leads to a thin spread of available funds across the entire group, resulting

in unproductive expenditures. Moreover tin-roofs do not appear to be the best available option

for the ANIs.

The Captain of Car Nicobar however acknowledged that the schemes like Jawahar Rozgar Yojana

and Indira Awaas Yojana have brought significant improvement in living standards.

On the basis of the Below Poverty Line (BPL) cards issued by the Civil Supplies department, there

were 1405 ST families BPL in 1999. Of these, 990 are in Car Nicobar and 415 in the Nancowry

group of islands. There are 2359 ST families under the Antyodaya Anna Yojana, on the basis of the

The Nicobar Islands

18

number of cards issued by the Civil Supplies department, of which 257 are on the Nancowry group

of islands. There are 35 ST beneficiaries under the Annapurna Yojana.

- Planning Commission’s Report, 2006.

Authors’ comments: The numbers quoted above however need to be vetted against realities in the

islands today. Certain important questions need answers, such as, do all families below the poverty

line have BPL cards? Are the ration shops (Public Distribution System) functioning well and are the

quantity and quality of products supplied, especially food grains, upto the mark?

2.8 Livelihoods and Unemployment

Traditionally, the concept of employment for earning money did not exist among the Nicobaris

and Shompens and hence the concept of ‘unemployment’ is relatively new.

The live register for unemployed people records only

419 people for the year 2004-2005, from the Islands

of Car Nicobar, Campbell Bay, Nancowry and Hut Bay.

Significantly, no placements have been made (Source:

Basic Statistics 2004-2005, Directorate of Economics

and Statistics, Andaman and Nicobar Administration,

Port Blair). In reality, the employment exchange is only

able to offer employment as daily wage labourers.

Lacking in substantial industries, school or college-

educated people can only hope to find employment in

the Government, where they are in severe competition

with mainlanders. The significantly large floating

population of mainlanders working as government

employees, large enough a ‘community’ in the ANI to

be counted as a separate group, often forms the basis

of the class divide that separates locals from outsiders.

(There are 34,965 government employees in the whole

of the ANI according to the Handbook, Director of

Statistics, Port Blair). These numbers are large enough

to contend with the numbers of the islanders themselves.

On the other hand, an opportunity of working as contract labour has come up as a profitable

enterprise after the tsunami, with the rebuilding works. For the Nicobari people, who get paid

Rs. 300 per day for 3 hours of work and who often work more than one shift a day (hence

earning twice the daily wage amount). It is often argued that for the Nicobari people, this is an

occasion for generating money in the short-term. However, this can not be considered an answer

Mixed farming as a livelihood option in Chowra

Indigeneous kitchen tools for grating tubers

19

A long way to go

to livelihood needs as the concept of daily wages is difficult to internalize for a community

traditionally not used to a money economy.

Cash crops like coconuts, areca nuts and betel nuts, are cultivated in the ANI. Agriculture is,

however, not a primary source of income.

Rations were provided to the remotest of villages and that there were no stark cases such as

starvation-related deaths is commendable. On the other hand, it may be argued that forest-

dwelling and coastal communities are good at surviving on food collected from the immediate

environment, and the role of food rations was at best, a supportive one.

People from the Central Agriculture Research Institute (CARI) who did venture out to the

remote islands to provide agriculture/livelihoods support, were forced to go back, because of

a severe accommodation crunch on the islands like Teressa, Chowra, Katchal, where people

were living in tin shelters and government houses have not been built yet. On their own, the

Nicobarese have begun mixed farming and horticulture on many of the islands. Solutions are

available from within the Nicobar islands themselves.

The approach to livelihoods needs to be far more holistic than what is currently underway

through extension work of the individual departments such as Fisheries, Agriculture and Animal

Husbandry: each implementing standalone schemes and programmes without an integrated

approach. The instance of vegetable cultivation with 900 families (see box) needs to be

sustained and replicated on all the islands with active participation of the people.

Media report: Administration gets an award for a sustainable livelihood initiative

The Andaman and Nicobar Administration has been given ‘The Energy and Resources Institute State

Award for Innovative Sustainable Development Initiatives 2006/07’. The award has been given to the

Union Territory in recognition of the initiative vegetable cultivation by Nicobari tribals in Car Nicobar,

which promises sustainable livelihood to 900 tribal families. The A&N Administration entry for the

Award was selected by a jury comprising of eminent experts from 28 entries received from 15 States.

The first prize was given to Gujarat for water harvesting and ground water recharge initiatives in the

Junagarh District. The second prize was given to Uttarkhand for involving school and college students

in aforestation activities. The A&N Islands were given a ‘Special Mention Award’ for the sustainable

livelihood initiative of vegetable cultivation in tribal areas.

- The Daily Telegram, 26 January 2007

2.9 Access to information

Information on welfare schemes and entitlements is often slow to reach the islands and interior

settlements. In this sense, it seems that difficulties in transportation get translated into difficulty in

disseminating information about government schemes. Typically, then, word of mouth is what

The Nicobar Islands

20

people depend on. There are sufficient intermediaries who have evolved systems to make money

by withholding information or even misguiding the local tribal communities.

A simple systemic solution to this may be generated by using wireless and telephonic

communication, and institutionalising mechanisms to ensure that office-bearers actually live and

work on the islands where they are posted instead of spending time in Port Blair on one pretext or

the other.

A commendable initiative by the administration is to update and expand the information on

the ANI website (www.ani.nic.in). The website contains, for instance, an islands-wise list of all

Islander card holders. This is very important and efforts should be made to keep the lists

updated and the process of including those who may be left out made transparent and

accessible to those living in remote parts of the islands.

Case story: Mechanisms by the Administration to ensure accountability

The ANI administration has a disaster management control room with telephone numbers (1070/

238881) published regularly as helplines in local newspapers. The CS has also made it mandatory

for all Directors and Secretaries to spend at least 4 nights on the islands in the Nicobars. This is

to ensure that the staff of the line departments become more accountable, by being compelled

to interact with the locals and be in a position to review the ground situation first hand.

An area of concern: the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) Report on

tsunami funds expenditure: Andaman and Nicobar Islands

Excerpts from the CAG Report are reproduced below and also point to the non-compliance

and tardiness of the administration :

“The utilisation of funds in the ANI was poor. About 61 percent of the funds released

remained unutilized.

Different departments of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands administration surrendered

Rs. 83.89 crores. Two departments incorrectly showed high utilization by merely placing

the funds with other departments. Advances drawn were lying unadjusted for long periods,

in contravention of rules.

In December 2002, the Home Secretary directed that the focus of disaster management

in ANI should shift from post disaster response to prevention, mitigation and

preparedness. A set of recommendations was issued which, inter alia, included adoption

and rigorous enforcement of the Bureau of Indian Standards’ building codes. In October

2003, the MHA also instructed that the life of the buildings should be evaluated to

analyse their capability to withstand natural hazards. It was, however, noticed in audit

21

A long way to go

that the work of identification of vulnerable structures was yet to be completed. Further,

the building byelaws had not been reviewed after the tsunami. Land Use and Zoning

Regulations were yet to be formulated.

The MHA issued guidelines (September 2004) for the establishment ofEmergency Operation

Centres (EOCs) to act as resource centres for emergency response in the event of any

disaster. Subsequently, in April 2005, the MHA again instructed the administration of ANI

to keep these EOCs ready in all respects by 10 May 2005 for data, audio and video

connectivity under the National Emergency Communication Plan (NECP). The proposal to

set up the EOCs was initiated only in June 2005. During 2005-06, administrative approval

and expenditure sanction was accorded for four EOCs at a total cost of Rs.2.63 crore. It

was however, noticed in an audit that work on only one EOC at Port Blair had been taken

up so far. The construction of the fifth EOC at Car Nicobar which was worst affected by

the tsunami was yet to be approved. As a result, the aim of providing reliable

communication facilities, monitoring the hazards and coordination response was yet to

be achieved even ten months after the lapse of the deadline given by MHA.

ANI:

Though bills were passed and stock entries made, only material worth Rs.1.98 lakh

was received, while material worth Rs. 22.77 lakh remained due from the supplier

which was highly irregular and entailed a risk of fraudulent payment.

Out of 52 schools damaged in the tsunami, a Memorandum of Understanding was signed

with NGOs for construction of 41 schools which were required to be completed upto

November 2005. However, at the end of July 2006, construction in only 26 schools had

been competed. It was stated that as the islands were spread over a large area and material

and labour had to be transported through sea, the work could not be completed in time.

APWD took up the work of construction of 406 pre-fabricated structures for various

government departments. The number was later revised to 481. As against these, the

Stores Division could supply only 431 structures in South and North Andaman, Hutbay,

Car Nicobar, Teressa, Katchal, Kamorta and Campbell Bay as of August 2006. Out of

this only 39 were erected at different islands.

Bridges

For replacement / repair of damaged bridges, the stores division procured 14 bailey-type

bridges at a cost of Rs.4.44 crores, totaling 1070 feet of length. Scrutiny of records revealed

that till January 2006, the division could install only 60 feet length of bridges and the rest

remained unused. The investment of Rs. 4.19 crore on the balance of 1010 feet on

proportionate basis remained idle.

The Nicobar Islands

22

Civil works

APWD took up various civil works. Most of the major divisions engaged in post tsunami

activities are located in the southern group of islands and South Andaman. Based on

the tsunami damage assessment carried out by the Administration, the MHA released

lump sum funds amounting to Rs. 154.58 crore to APWD for undertaking various civil

works during 2004-05 and 2005-06. Against this, expenditure of Rs. 90.86 crore only

was incurred during both the years which accounted for 59 per cent. The slow progress

of expenditure was mainly due to lack of proper monitoring, absence of internal control,

delay in sanctioning and execution of the works as evident from the individual

performance reports of the respective divisions of APWD scattered in Port Blair.

Details of unutilized relief material in ANI

State Details of material Amount Remarks

(Rs.in crore)

ANI Gensets 1.70 On closure of relief camps, 519 gensets

had neither been taken back nor their

cost recovered.

Bailey type bridge

and prefabricated

structures 1.63 Scrutiny of records revealed short

accounting of these items.

Plastic Ropes 1.60 Plastic ropes were procured as part of

tool kits to be supplied to the tribals but

were not used for the intended purpose.

Tents 1.16 Out of 2500 tents procured through

the MHA, 901 tents were not put to use.

Transmission and

distribution items

for power supply 0.52 Items were lying unutilized for periods

ranging from eight to nine months.

Consumer 0.21 Whereabouts of these items could

durables not be ascertained after closure of relief

camps in the absence of any records.

Total 6.82

23

A long way to go

Andaman Lakshadweep Harbour Works was sanctioned Rs. 60.10 crore up to 2004-05

for restoration of harbour and jetty works. An expenditure of Rs. 6.62 crore only, was

incurred up to December 2005 due to delay in finalization of the tendering formalities,

preparation of the detailed project report, sub-soil investigation and taking up of turnkey

project with other attending works coupled with delay in execution of the works.

As per MHA’s directions of February 2005, the time limit for grant of subsidy to

fishermen was 15 days whereas in case of grant of subsidy as well as bank loan, the

time limit was 30 days. However, by the end of November 2005, out of 1703 affected

fishermen, only 816 cases of assistance were settled. This translated to only 47.92

per cent achievement even after the lapse of nearly one year from the disaster.

Deficiencies in financial management were reflected in cases of irregular excess and

avoidable expenditure. Cases of non-utilisation and surrender of funds were also

noticed. The process of identification of beneficiaries was deficient, resulting in

ineligible persons being deprived. There were delays in rehabilitation activities in

respect of construction of permanent houses and basic infrastructure. Imprudent

procurement led to non-utilisation of relief materials. Monitoring needs to improve

at the State as well as Union levels.”

2.10 Excluded communities

Each of the Nicobar Islands has a complex mix of communities. The Nicobarese are the largest

tribal group; the Shompens and “Ranchis” are the other tribal communities. Amongst the non-

tribals are the Malayalis, Telegus, Tamils, Maharashtrians, Punjabis, Bengalis – mainlanders who

came in at various points in history (For example the Malayalis came to Katchal with the setting up

of the rubber plantations).

The Ranchi community

The Ranchis, (sometimes used as a derogatory term) named after their general places of origin,

(from the Chhota Nagpur area, modern day Bihar, Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand) face unique

problems – accepted neither by the tribal people nor given special privileges by the administration.

They remain, as a result, one of the poorest communities in the ANI.

Over the past three decades, the people of this community have outgrown the areas originally

allocated to them, ‘encroaching’ upon revenue lands and/or forests. With this status as ‘encroachers’,

they do not have access to government facilities and the rates of unemployment are very high in

the community. In Hut Bay, the community had filed a case to be considered as settlers, but lost it

due to limited funds and lack of co-ordination. Alcoholism is rampant, with high incidence of

broken families and school dropout rates, especially among girl children.

The Nicobar Islands

24

Issues of exclusion, marginalization and poverty, the inability to claim their entitlements and live a

life free from fear are among the issues addressed by a ‘Ranchi Association’, set up by the community

themselves. A large number of people from this community are not enumerated in the voter’s list

but are issued with local islanders’ cards, which state they have been on the islands for the past

ten years, even though many of them have been here since India’s independence.

Compared to the Ranchis, the Tamil, Telegu and Malyalee settlers enjoy the status of ‘settlers’ in

various parts of ANI and are engaged in various livelihood activities, including employment in

government services.

The shifting demographic profile of the Nicobars needs to be flagged here. It includes the

settler-tribal divide where the entitlements of each community are under contestation.

To ensure that they are enumerated in the census, that their names appear in voters’ lists and

that they possess islander identity cards or BPL ration cards, requires considerable awareness in

communities and a high degree of familiarity with official norms, rules and procedures. This in

turn requires a conscientious system of governance. The networks established by mainlanders

are stronger than those of tribal communities who experience discrimination in the way

government norms are applied and operated. This was evident even in pre-tsunami times.

Government records show that of the 26,565 tribals in the Nicobars, less than ten percent are

counted as BPL. It is possible that many of those possessing BPL cards may actually be non-tribals

– people who have come from the mainland either as ex-servicemen or those who have come to

settle there in view of the new economic opportunities. It is equally possible that many tribal

people who are actually below the poverty line do not have BPL cards.

Many Nicobarese also feel excluded. The inability of the government to facilitate people in

moving to their original settlements or their area of preference has created considerable doubt

among Nicobari people from Trinket, Kondul, Pillomilow about whether they will ever be

understood by the administration that takes decisions according to the contractor’s convenience.

Most government officials entrusted with implementation of housing, infrastructure building

and livelihood provision are not trained to reach out to the tribals. The more remote the village,

the less likely it would be that the facilities will reach them. ‘Demanding’ does not come naturally

to the traditional Nicobaris, who value characteristics such as a preference for independence,

self-sufficiency and freedom to live on their own terms.

2.11 Governance

Multiplicity of Departments, hierarchies and absence of convergence: The criticism of

how different departments such as social welfare, forests, agriculture, IT, revenue, education

and so on govern the life of an individual is well-known. In an island system this gets heightened

25

A long way to go

simply because the staff of each department does not desire to live on the island and spends

more time in Port Blair than in their station of duty. If the teacher is not on the island, then

the complaint if made must be attended to by the Education Department. By the time any

action is taken, it is time for the teacher to be posted out anyway. People learn quickly that

these are the ways of the government. They have not seen any other and their faith in the

system is yet to be established. The Forest guard, wielding a stick often decides what the law

of the land is and the scope to redress grievances seems non-existent.

Almost all government servants posted on an island learn to stick together as it is required for

one’s own survival and also learn to defend one another in their ways. Tribals are seen as

“jungils”, “fools” and “uninformed”. The officials view their posting as a punishment and the

idea of duty towards people of a democratic nation is almost entirely missing. Systems are bent

to serve personal interests and opportunities are plenty.

Some of the more sincere or senior officials recognize these problems but to break these entrenched

ways is not easy. The position of CS also sees a change virtually every year and by the time the CS

understands complexities, he is replaced by another. As a result, accountability at different levels

of hierarchy tends to be minimal.

With passage of time, the dominant Nicobari leadership is learning “the ways of the world” and

becoming bolder and also engaging in fraudulent practices.

Case story: Sub-centre at Teressa

In one village of Teressa the sub-centre was to be built by an NGO. The contract was given to a third

party. The DC on her visit to the island noticed that the centre was not complete and that the GI

sheets were lying around.

She was shocked to see the work completion paper on her desk and knowing that something was

amiss, inquired further with the agency. The NGO produced a letter signed by an influential tribal

leader. It was discovered that the contractor had obtained this letter by paying a certain “cut”. On

inquiring the leadership distanced herself saying that the letter and her signature were both forged.

The local tribals for sometime now have been aware of the exploitative ways adopted by this

leadership and they see their opportunistic ways. For example, the ration issued by the Government

is supplied through the Tribal Captains, a practice which to a large extent used to ensure adequate

distribution. In recent months in some areas of Nancowry group of islands there were complaints

about inadequate supply and distribution. The rations are purportedly siphoned off and sold in

the open market in Port Blair. According to sources, it took someone from outside to blow the

whistle as the locals would dare not raise their voices against the traditional leadership.

The Nicobar Islands

26

The uprooted communities living in temporary shelters, with poor access to administration or

knowledge about its duties, and the functioning of departments are experiencing one of the

most painful process of acculturation and so-called ‘mainstreaming’. The complex ways in

which the relationship between the leaders and community are transforming due to the

standardized ways in which relief and rehabilitation is structured by the government, needs

to be understood. The power dynamics in the Nicobars now pan themselves out in highly

opportunistic and exploitative ways.

On the other hand, ignoring the genuine demands of the tribal councils has resulted in anger

and frustration with the administration.  Although the Nicobari tribal councils have written a

large number of letters (over a period of the last two years) to the administration, they are yet

to receive replies. Their demands are met in some instances, but in other instances, ignored.

The Shompens do not have any formal or informal organized relationship with the

administration. Their representation within the democratic fabric will also need to be thought

through carefully.

Media report: Community leader commended by the administration

The Lt Governor’s Commendation Certificate was given to a woman tribal First Captain, Cecelia

Allen, for her outstanding contributions in bringing electricity to her village, Munak in Kamorta. She

approached the Department of Electricity with a proposal of setting up a powerhouse in her village.

The villagers would build the sheds and set up and operate the power house, while the administration

would pitch in with the necessary machinery and diesel. She also changed all power bulbs to CFL,

thereby increasing the availability of power. Munak’s model community powerhouse was so successful

that eventually 5 other powerhousse have come up in neighbouring villages.

The example shows just how effective people-administration collaboration can be in bringing about

positive, community-centric development. The potential of the First Captains to come up as community

leaders is enormous and needs to be tapped by the administration.

The Tribal Councils are largely normative. They enjoy a number of privileges, but also suffer

crucial deprivations. All tribal people do not have equal representation in the Council’s decision-

making process. Nor does the Council have access to development funds that are available at

the Panchayat levels. The people feel that becoming part of the Panchayati Raj system has an

important drawback: they would have to pay the government taxes and their tribal common-

lands could become revenue-lands.

The tribal council has, recently, brought up the issue of land encroachment by the Armed

Forces, pointing out that lands, from which Nicobaris are now barred, on grounds of

‘encroachment’, were theirs to begin with.

27

A long way to go

The Tribal Councils of each island have different requirements and concerns, since every island

is culturally and socially, slightly different from the others. In some cases, their languages

differ, as do their beliefs. However the only voice heard is that of a few influential leaders

from Car Nicobar and Nancowry.  Local people who once respected them immensely have

begun to resent their failure to provide sensitive leadership in times of this major crisis.  They

also see that some highly revered families have amassed considerable wealth. This leadership

is specifically central Nicobari in voice, but acts on behalf of the Nicobar Islands as a whole. As

in any other age-old power hierarchy, there is a considerable amount of opposition and

resentment to their monopoly in the area.

It may be prudent to consider devolution of power at the island level in the Nicobars, instead

of subsuming aspirations of tribals on each of the islands under two tehsils: Car Nicobar and

Nancowry. This suggestion coming from certain quarters is also borne out in geographic and

demographic parameters. Although the single island of Car Nicobar is only 126.9 kilometres

in area with a total population of 15,899 (as per the 2001 Census), it has a separate tribal

council. The tribal council of Nancowry covers the rest of the Nicobars, (a total of 12 islands,

with an area of over 1714 square kilometers and population of 10,644) and has poor

inter-island connectivity For historical reasons from the government’s perspective the

descendents of Rani Laxmi have dominated the Nancowry tehsil. After the tsunami,

people from the smaller islands such as Chowra, Trinket, Kondul, Little and Great Nicobar feel

relatively neglected as their ability to “voice” their demands effectively is limited in the

present structure.

Case story: people living in Campbell Bay

Campbell Bay is a port town in the southern most Island of the Nicobars, the Great Nicobar. The

Nicobareses and Shompen communities lived in clusters, in the forests and along the shores of the

Great Nicobar, Kondul, Little Nicobar and Pilowmilow before the tsunami devastated their settlements.

The town has a mixed population of settler communities including Bengali, Punjabi, Marathi, Tamil,

Telegu, The original inhabitants of the islands are now living in transit shelters in Campbell Bay.

People want to go back to their villages, but in the shelters the ration is free. Back in the villages, life

is difficult beyond imagination. The problem is two-fold. A community which has never interacted

with the outside world, now suddenly finds itself in the middle of it all. There are many roads available

for them from here on. If the community starts staying in Campbell Bay there would be lot more

“opportunities” for them. There are no issues of physical survival. A lot of money has come in for

compensations for the dead, the missing and the spoilt land. The community has to make an aware

and informed choice for the future.

- Junuka Deshpande, The Hindu Sunday Magazine 24 December 2006

The Nicobar Islands

28

The challenge areas we have touched upon in this section need deeper study and discussion

in order to understand their context and arrive at specific measures to address the concerns.

It must be restated here that the issues highlighted need to be comprehensively understood

as the situation on each island of the Nicobars is different. The struggles of villages located

far from the jetty or from the administration areas need particular attention in order to

internalise the importance of addressing them.

For instance, the issues related to the ambivalent and sometimes exploitative relationships of

the locals and tribals with the ‘outsiders’ (including government employees, as outlined in

Section 2.6), needs much more serious thought and attention, especially in light of similar

experiences in the tribal areas of mainland India. Given the dynamics that may develop in

such relationships, various stakeholders need to uphold respect and dignity of tribals and

demonstrate full awareness of the rights of indigenous communities. 

Respecting the rights of the people as a matter of course and not as an added ‘burden’ on the

officialdom that serve as gatekeepers of all welfare schemes and government services is an

area of concern that underlies the challenges we touched upon in this chapter. In the following

chapter, we outline possible measures, presenting them not as solutions but options.

A long way to go

29

3. The Way ForwardPutting people at the centre of rehabilitation efforts

In addition to the physical destruction, relief and rehabilitation measures set in motion in the

aftermath of the tsunami 2004 have clearly created pressures hitherto unknown to the Nicobar

islanders. A constant stream of outsiders, with strategies of intervention to revive the local

economy have sometimes initiated processes that interfere with, rather than aid, the natural

coping mechanisms of the islanders.

This report underscores that relief, rehabilitation and the process of long-term development

must lay its foundations in critical engagement between development practitioners, government,

duty-bearers and the communities. Thus development, must not only be planned but also paced

out according to the communities’ needs, which are multi-dimensional and diverse on each of

the Islands in the Nicobars.

3.1 Planning with social and environmental justice

Post-disaster rebuilding is often an apt time for developing a comprehensive island-level plan,

taking into account the environment and the changing cultural contexts of the people. This

should be evolved through micro-planning processes and must include physical and spatial

planning, siting amenities and social infrastructure, with due emphasis on the physical and

cultural limitations and environmental sustainability.

● Given the many problems that the administration is grappling with, and a very haphazard

and unplanned siting of settlements and infrastructure, it may be useful to work towards

an overall plan for the next 10 or 20 years. This will strengthen the weak enforcement of

monitoring mechanisms. A compartmentalized approach, where each government

department concerns itself with its outlays and expenditures leading to stand-alone

programmes, has a negative impact. In a fragile ecosystem, such programmes lead to

degradation and leave the indigenous population open to exploitation.

What is needed therefore is a comprehensive plan for a decade or longer, taking into

account the multifaceted nature of challenges faced by the population. Such a plan must

take into account the increases in population and the resulting increases in demands on

public infrastructure and essential services such as schools and teachers, hospitals and fair

price shops, conveyance, potable water and electricity. The practices and norms of the

Nicobari tuhets need to be understood and the community, (especially women and children)

needs to be consulted during planning.

● Conservation and equity There is ample evidence from the Nicobars to show that

conservation efforts can sometimes harm the local communities.

The Nicobar Islands

30

A taditional water storage method in Chowra

Sustainable practices : Rainwater harvesting,Chowra

Since many parts of the Nicobar Islands are

protected in terms of bio-diversity (reinforced by

the Shekhar S ingh report) , benef i ts f rom

conservation need to accrue to local communities.

Instead of being administered by the government,

such conservation efforts need to be run by

multiple agencies, including the different tiers of

the administration, local communities and others.

The Nicobar Islands need to be viewed as a

community heritage as well as a national asset.

The absence of institutional memory building and

the presence of an entrenched contractor system

are perhaps the biggest hurdles in creating people-

centered, culturally sensitive development plans.

Every government official posted at the Nicobar

Islands, including members of the Armed Forces,

must be educated and made aware about the fragility of the islands’ ecosystems and

principles and practices in environmental sustainability. Waste and sewage disposal,

conservation, etc need to be woven into the operations of such officials.

● Where government structures are weak, a number of intermediaries come up to provide

what is rightfully due to the community, in return for a ‘cut’. This is more often a norm than

an exception in the Nicobars. Instilling a heightened sense of duty amongst government

officials is not easy and efforts are being made from within the government to change this.

Such efforts must be bolstered.

● A more effective grievance redressal mechanism, aided by the Right to Information

Act, is the need of the hour. The accountability of key duty bearers need to be enhanced,

to meet the basic rights of the islanders. The

administration has taken the first steps by publishing

the list of key duty bearers, online.

● Permanent housing People who have been living in

intermediary shelters for the past two years feel the

pressing need to go back to their original places of

living. The feeling that the place of stay is ‘temporary’

has resulted in many problems, like alcoholism,

conspicuous consumption, and suspected cases of

A long way to go

31

abuse. People, especially women and girls, feel the lack of privacy very keenly, and are often

afraid of voicing their opposition for fear of causing violent fights among the men. As such,

many of the old support structures are weakening with no new ones to take their place.

Houses made by the survivors themselves have always been an option. Part B of this report

details how the TCPO option was insensitive to the cultural and environmental context and

way back in 2005, provided detailed alternatives.

● The ANI administration is currently investing in promoting tourism in the islands. One of

the concerns with regard to tourism is that there will be an increase in the demand for

natural resources – land and water. The volume of waste generated needs careful attention

and its disposal needs effective planning in these eco-fragile islands.

3.2 Approach to Indigenous people

As has been highlighted throughout this part of the report, the administration’s approach to

indigenous people needs serious engagement. In this section, we present a brief account of options:

The Shompens

The Shompens, recognized as a primitive and endangered tribal group, would need special provisions

to be included in governance decisions that affect their lives and livelihoods. One such area of

inclusion is in local governance; in affairs that affect their lives directly.

The Nicobarese

Although many Nicobarese are educated (some have become doctors, business persons, teachers,

and are also in government service) the level of acculturation is highly variable across the islands

with Car Nicobar being the most ‘exposed’ to outside influences. This is often attributed to the

influence of the Church and the presence of District headquarters. The situation south of Car

Nicobar requires considerable attention.

Generalisations about Nicobarese do not hold and their behaviour and responses vary, depending

on the degree of contact the community has had with outsiders and the nature of their experiences.

These outsiders could be settlers, government officials, intermediaries within the copra trade,

contractors or the armed forces personnel.

The treatment meted out to them by teachers, doctors and other non-Nicobari (mainlander) people

needs review and requires to be defined. Awareness must be created about the rights and social

mores of indigenous communities, their struggles and way of living. In other words, the Nicobaris’

right to dignity need to be taken into account in interactions and exchanges with the ‘outsiders’.

In turn, Nicobarese need to be made aware of encroachers, poachers and the illegal operations

of contractors and other intermediaries from within the government and outside. Systems of

The Nicobar Islands

32

A taditional house in Chowra, flanked by the new

tin-roofed constructions built as part of the post-

tsunami rehabilitation

maintaining vigilance must be taught to the indigenous communities. The government

personnel must ensure quick and efficient action to curtail illegal activities. This can go a

long way in protecting their cultural rights as well as the biosphere reserves that comprise

the Nicobars.

3.3 Welfare schemes and services

● Agriculture extension work needs to be taken up on a priority basis to support people in

engaging in sustainable agricultural practices. In this context, it may be essential to keep in

mind that the communities were, till very recently, hunter-gatherers, and therefore may not

have traditional skills in farming. Hence there is a need for extensive ‘hand-holding’ as far as

agricultural practices go. The cultivation of traditional grass, used for housing, needs to be

consciously promoted (without using this as an excuse to fell trees and destroy forests).

Wherever possible, support to livestock, such as timely vaccination, is also required.

● Horticulture and plantations need a fillip through various catalyst inputs. For instance, the

prices of copra driers, an important piece of machinery for processing coconut fiber for sale,

need to be subsidized so that coconut growers can avail of this opportunity for value addition.

Procurement prices of copra need wide publicity to make sure that everyone gets the fair

price. The community also feels the need to promote tubers and requires demonstrations in

new methods of coconut cultivation, soil conservation and minor irrigation.

● Essential infrastructure, such as arterial roads, jetties and efficient public transport are of

primary importance in the current context. Their numbers and locations, however, must be

decided with great care and after consulting the local communities. Basic services such as

telephones, electrical supplies, etc. need to be taken care of, at the Island level itself. It is

also essential that existing systems are kept in excellent repair. People need to be identified

and trained as community-based repairmen, so

that breakdown of basic services does not disrupt

lives of the islanders with unfailing regularity, as

is the case now.

● Schools need serious attention from the

administration. All schools need to be fully

equipped with teaching materials, easily accessible

by children, with an adequate number of rooms

and teachers to take up various subjects. Village

Education Committees must be set up and their

monitoring function taken seriously by the

Education Department.

A long way to go

33

● Regarding public health, traditional medical practitioners and practices need support

to be preserved. These people are an important link who can do a lot to bring the

community’s health status up to the mark. Capacity building and institutional support for

them would go a long way towards preventive as well as curative healthcare.

To bring up another aspect of public health, the National Vector borne Disease Control

Programme needs to extend its coverage to Islands such as Kamorta, where chloroquine-

resistant forms of Falciparum Malaria are prevalent. The vaccine programme to prevent

communicable diseases such as malaria, tuberculosis and hepatitis also needs to be targeted.

The problem of potable water needs to be solved with community-level mechanisms,

such as rainwater harvesting. In case of centralized services, governance structures need

to ensure community-based service delivery and effective grievance redressal.

● Support and guidance must be given in the use of cash compensation to bring in

longer-term benefits for the households. It was important to have given disaster survivors

the right to choice by giving cash doles, but it was equally important to have given

logistical support to help arrive at sustainable choices to generate livelihood options

using the cash doles. In the absence of government staff who would be willing to stay

in inhospitable conditions or untrained in social outreach, intermediaries have brought

in customer durables and an unsuitable lifestyle to the Nicobars. A proactive approach

in this regard could have been, to bring in people and organizations with experience in

this area.

There is a need for training at various levels. For example, training in using SAT phones

for emergencies, training for developing a cadre of eco-guides, etc. The idea of establishing

a sports academy for football, volleyball, swimming and diving needs to be explored, given

that the Nicobarese display exceptional talents in these areas.

● Handicrafts, such as bamboo products, basket-making and pottery, which have market

potential could be explored and modalities worked out to make sure that the earnings go to

the producers, not to middlemen.

● In light of the vulnerability of the regions, settlements that are at high risk in times of

disasters need to be identified, to work out and inculcate community-based disaster

preparedness plans including evacuation, search, rescue, etc. Flat islands - Car Nicobar

and Chowra are especially vulnerable if the subduction of the India plate continues. A long-

term view of this vulnerability needs to be taken into account and an answer is needed to

the question, ‘Should further settlement and migration to the ANI be discouraged?’.

As stated in the beginning of this brief report, this publication is meant to bring certain well-

known experiences to the public domain and open them for discussion and dialogue and garner

specific measures to address the issues highlighted in the last chapter. The range of options

discussed in this chapter are just that, possible options, that need much refinement and maybe

even modifications to make them workable. Certain options are straightforward, such as

improving the connectivity between the Nicobar islands and from the Nicobars to Port Blair.

Other options are not so directly agreeable by all concerned, for instance restricting and regulating

the influx and movement of mainlanders or the problem of lack teachers’ quarters that is directly

related to absenteeism among school teachers and the resultant poor quality of schooling in the

more remote areas of the Nicobars.

To round off this part of the report, one only needs to underscore the point that the Indian

government, it’s various arms - including the bureaucracy, the armed forces, the law-enforcing

authorities, and others who come into the area for purposes of trade, among other things, need

to especially internalise the perspective of the inalienable rights of indigenous communities and

environmental conservation in order to ensure that the Nicobari communities and the islands

themselves important, not just politically but socially and ecologically as well, are conserved. 

Towards this, successful approaches to conservation that uphold tribal rights and ecological

conservation, from other parts of the world need to be looked at with care. This assumes even

greater significance in the post-tsunami context where a people-centric dialogue on structures of

governance and service delivery as they exist in the Nicobar Islands, need to be substantively

revisited.  

References

Dhingra, Kiran (2005) The Andaman and Nicobar islands in the 20th Century – A Gazeteer,

Oxford University Press, New Delhi.

Digal, Janak (2006) Livelihood Measures in Post tsunami, A & N Administration, Port Blair.

http://www.and.nic.in/

Island-wise Statistical Outline (2005) Directorate of Economics & Statistics, Andamans & Nicobar

Administration, Port Blair.

Meshak, Anshu (2006) Fortitude in Disasters – Experiences of the tsunami-affected Nicobarese

tribe, an unpublished Masters dissertation, TISS, Mumbai.

TISS (2005) Post-Tsunami Situation of Katchal Island (January – February 2005), Tata Institute

of Social Sciences, Mumbai.

Shekhar Singh Report, Accepted by Supreme Court on May 7, 2002.

34

The Nicobar Islands

Part BHousing andHabitat in theNicobar Islands

Integrated Design (INDÉ) is a multi-disciplinary team of

professionals involved in Environmental design, Regional planning,

Disaster reconstruction, Heritage conservation and Natural

resource management.

email : integrateddesign@yahoo.co.in

The Nicobar Islands

36

Kondul is a tiny island near Great Nicobar. The shores have been chopped off, leaving a

mass of dense tropical forests in the middle of the island and nothing else. People from

Kondul now live in rows of tin shelters in Campbell Bay. They visit Kondul if the sea

permits and if diesel is available.

The “New Kondul” is being located in Afara Bay; “Koi-ba-lu” in the local language (konduli).

The coconut plantation here before the tsunami belonged to the people of Kondul. Now,

Afara Bay is a jungle, with one tent on the stilt — the beginnings of a village.

The Nicobaris do not belong to Campbell Bay so they have made the decision to move

out of the Campbell Bay transit shelters. Their villages are (were) along the coast of

Great Nicobar, Little Nicobar, Kondul and Pilomilo islands. After one-and-a-half years of

their having lived a new, difficult life in the temporary tin shelters in Campbell Bay, the

then Assistant Commissioner, had consented that if the Nicobari community wanted to

go back to their villages, they should. The government has promised to build permanent

houses for the people. The administration is surveying the southern islands with the

village heads for permanent shelters. But people have already built houses using the

forest resources as they used to before. Looking at the mammoth devastation and a

tribal context, the rebuilding efforts need to be collaborative and not charitable!

Clearing the debris is a Herculean task. The labour of huge machines is being done by a

few members of the community. After all, it’s their need to live in their own way.

– Junuka Deshpande, The Hindu Sunday Magazine 24 December 2006

The UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights states that new housing,

the building materials used and the policies supporting this, must appropriately enable

the expression of cultural identity and diversity of housing.

Even though traditional houses have withstood earthquakes very well and the community

clearly prefers them, the government has decided to construct houses using pre-fabricated

materials, imported from mainland India (through contractors) at an exorbitant cost of Rs. 10

lakh per unit. Building the houses on stilts in the Nicobars may well turn out to be a symbolic

gesture only. All houses to be constructed have to follow a design finalized by the CPWD,

even those constructed by the NGOs.

Also, homestead land, used vitally for a variety of purposes as also for providing breathing space

around the dwelling units, has not been included as mandatory in the designs.

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In Car Nicobar, the Nicobarese live in tuhets, which is the term used for an extended household.

There are about 26 tuhets in 15 villages spread over Car Nicobar. Some of the tuhets may constitute

upto 100 members. Most of the tuhets nurture coconut plantations, whereby the rights to the

fruits are generally defined by markings on the trees.

It is thus clear that the house or home as a unit is not just a familial dwelling unit, but also,

and more importantly, an economic and social unit. This characteristic of housing, if not

taken into account by the standard housing designs approved by the administration, will

seriously mar the economic self -sustainability of the people and also have an effect on

household food security and traditional livelihood systems.

Further to a study conducted by Integrated Design immediately after the tsunami, it was

observed that the rehabilitation efforts in Nicobar have bypassed the culture-appropriate,

community-specific needs of the affected communities. The traditional, rigid top-down

approach to relief and rehabilitation has further alienated the communities from their

familiar habitat. With the government assuming a patronising approach, most decisions have

taken place in the absence of consultations with the affected communities. The result is

that Nicobarese felt more estranged than ‘resettled’.

With the erstwhile eco-friendly, culture-appropriate modes being considered as entities belonging

to the ‘backward’ past and the government-designed standard rehabilitation designs being

dubbed as ‘progressive’, the predominant attitudes only serve to perpetuate the growing divide

between the state and the people. The state continues to provide inappropriate and costly

housing solutions to an indifferent community even as the gaping chasm grows wider between

them. The exercise for evaluation and suggestion of possible alternatives has been undertaken

after extensive experience in the Nicobar group of islands post-Tsunami by the INDÉ team in

consultation with the administration as well as the tribal community.

Specific solutions relating to specific

parameters

Reconstruction aims to address:

– Concerns

– Needs

– Available resources (natural and human)

– Strengths

– Human rights and

– Culture

of the target community. To this end, it is important

to consider that for each area, and each need, a

Traditional food storage: inside the home; functionsthat must be kept to mind while designing housesfor the Nicobaris.

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specific answer is necessary and required. Each

solution needs to satisfactori ly answer

questions like:

– Is it appropriate?

– Is it timely?

– Is it sustainable?

– Is it sensitive?

Tangible values must be imparted to each of these,

so as to effectively make the transition from an intellectual stratum to terra firma, to enable a

practical, workable action plan to be implemented on the ground.

It is imperative that these terms are analyzed, understood and internalised in the specific

context of the islands. Only then can any kind of intervention be meaningful and have the

kind of long-term impact that is meaningful; whether it is in the building of houses, providing

social infrastructure, enabling community participation or providing psychosocial support, It

is important to remember that each of the conclusions and solutions have to remain specific

for each community, on each island.

Appropriate

The term ‘appropriate’ includes, but is not limited to, several parameters:

● Appropriate Technology

Put very simply, appropriate technology means using techniques and technologies that are

suitable to the capacities available within each community, or being able to build where

none exist. These ought to be technologies that are easy to share and propagate, putting

little pressure on the community.

● Appropriate Building Material

Fairly self-explanatory, it means using construction material that is, as far as possible, sourced

locally. It also means using such materials that are appropriate to the climate and user demands.

These have to be low maintenance, or at the very least, easy to maintain.

● Appropriate Built form

The structures themselves have to be rooted in the tribal idiom, so as to be acceptable to the

people. The built form needs to address issues of lifestyle, climate, utility, etc, in a manner that

is user friendly and familiar to the Nicobaris. Imposing foreign,( meaning the mainland) ideals

of architecture will not only be a failure, it would even be detrimental to the ecology and

traditional way of life.

Traditional & sustainable method of fishing of Nicobarese

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This is probably the most critical of the parameters in more ways than one. The planning and

layout of the settlement will, to a large extent, define and influence the way the community

will live together. Approached wrongly, the settlement pattern could very well lead to a complete

breakdown of the traditional community structure. This assumes importance since the entire

physical development would not happen as a single event but as a continuous process. Many

of the community facilities will be enabled by different line departments – social welfare,

education, health – and if there is no perception of a master plan, the agencies will often be

working at cross-purposes.

● Appropriate Spaces

Spaces, both built-up and non-built, influence the day-to-day working of the people.

Spaces cannot be defined as living room, bedroom and dining room: these concepts are

exclusive to the mainland and are completely alien to the Nicobaris. So is the concept of

a private toilet for each dwelling. The definition of spaces and even their nomenclature

needs to address the unique lifestyle of the users.

Necessary spaces to fulfill the needs of the Nicobaris are:

– Poultry / pig pen

– A separate cooking structure, removed from the main dwelling.

– Copra / fruit stocking space

– Fuel / fodder stockyard

– Covered macchan / deck with open sides for daytime use

– An enclosed space to store valuables

– Ledges / lofts for open storage

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● Appropriate Siting

The siting, or placement, of the new settlement needs to consider many diverse factors.

Among the most important is topography, which is defined by:

– Soil conditions

– Slope of land

– Water logging

– Drainage

– Rock strata

In addition, the importance of proximity as a parameter needs to be fully appreciated. This

will effectively determine the location of the settlement, based on the proximity of / to:

– Shore line

– Fresh water source

– Existing road network

– Existing infrastructure such as power, jetty, etc

– Plantations / place of work

– Forest / vegetation as a source of raw material

● Appropriate facilities

A truly integrated settlement would need to have amenities that are appropriate, as defined

by the needs of the community.

– A community structure to house the council, hold meetings, etc, is important at the

head of each settlement. This would also act as the visitors’ reception area as tradition

demands.

– Community toilets

– Primary school

– Primary health centre

– Agriculture produce processing yard / unit

– Public telephone, etc

Thes are needed in close proximity to each settlement. In addition to these, community

specific facilities like a prayer house need to be integrated. Equally important are some

of the so called facilities automatically provided for in the mainland, but should be

desisted from, such as

– Shopping centre

– Recreation clubs

These concepts are not just alien, but can prove detrimental to the traditional lifestyle.

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Timely

The term ‘Timely’ should be understood, not just in chronological terms, but also in terms of

sequence, seasons, priorities, needs, etc, which if tackled in an organized and efficient manner,

can make the difference between total success and abject failure.

● Timely Material Mobilisation

Mobilisation of construction material is as important as the funds, but attains a critical

dimension in the islands due to the intensity of the rains. The monsoons are the single

most critical factor that would have a huge impact on any form of development

programme. All the necessary materials need to be organized for, well in advance so as

to enable the reconstruction to continue smoothly. The issue of transport needs special

attention, in view of the scattered nature of settlements and the fact that these are on

different islands. For instance, if roofing sheets have landed but no cutting tools are

available, it would serve little purpose.

● Timely Manpower Mobilisation

The fact that imported labour – whether from the mainland or settlers within the territory –

should be strictly discouraged, takes on special import where manpower is concerned. It

will mean that certain capacities have to be built-up and enabled among the Nicobaris

before embarking on the actual construction. Special mention needs to be made of skilled

carpenters, masons, etc, who will need to be identified / trained for participating in the

reconstruction process.

● Timely Non-Intervention

Equally important is the awareness and the sensibility to know when not to intervene.

Issues such as rituals, religion, traditional beliefs and taboos, community / family meetings,

etc, demand that non-tribal / mainlanders allow much needed privacy and not intervene in

sensitive areas. Especially important are community meetings to decide a course of action,

which are best left private.

Sustainable

The term ‘Sustainable’ refers not only to the environment, as it is generally understood, but

encompasses many diverse, but equally critical parameters. These need to be understood in

totality. Issues of sustainability cannot be seen in isolation since, by definition, they are intricately

woven together. Some of the major heads that need special mention are:

● Sustainable Livelihood

When options for livelihood are generated , what needs to be kept in mind is that the

activities need to continue uninterrupted and with little external input, for the next few

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42

decades. Immediate options resorted to as shortcuts can do more harm than good in the

long run. Those that require technology transfers, constant supervision, expensive raw

material and / or intensive training need to be questioned.

● Sustainable Growth

The continued and sustained growth of the community – in economic, social and cultural

terms – should be one of the objectives of the reconstruction process. Measures undertaken

now should be in tandem with future growth patterns, not compromising a comfortable

future for a luxurious present.

● Sustainable Technologies

As mentioned, appropriate technologies and sustainability takes on an ecological dimension

in terms of not merely the initial or capital cost of the rebuilding process, but more

importantly the life cycle cost of the same. They would need to cast minimum demands

on natural resources in the long run while being user- friendly at the initial stages.

● Sustainable Built Form

Intricately tied up in the entire process is the actual built form, or ‘architecture’. Elements that

contribute to make the structure, be it a dwelling or a community structure, need to considered

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for their sustainability. The built form needs to be climate specific in terms of addressing

the heavy rainfall, the hot & humid conditions, and the need for constant airflow, etc.

combined with level of user-friendliness with ease of maintenance.

● Sustainable Resource Utilisation

Resources – both raw material as well as natural resources like water and biomass –

need to be used in a manner that does not build up undue pressure on their continued

availability.

● Sustainable Land Management

Intelligent use of the land as a resource must be considered, while addressing. all the

needs of the people in terms of habitation, livestock, plantation, kitchen gardens,

agro-processing, community activities, etc. It should be tailored to allow flexibility of

use, expansion in the future, accommodating new functions, etc, so as not to crowd

the development or lead to clashing interests.

● Sustainable Community

All the above, working in tandem, will contribute towards a community that is self-

sustained, with little or minimum dependence on continued external support.

Sensitive

The term ‘Sensitive’ means not merely paying lip service to the people’s requirements but

being able to internalise the aspirations and needs in a holistic and meaningful manner.

● Sensitive to Ground realities

Any intervention or development measures need to closely consider the actual conditions

on ground. This means that the micro-planning exercises need to be carried out on site

itself and not dictated from a remote location. ‘Remote’ meaning not only the mainland

but also Port Blair, since it is difficult or near impossible to fathom the intricacies of the

island environment while being a part of the situation everyday.

● Sensitive to the Cultural background

Needless to stress, this is crucial in the working of any process connected with the

Nicobaris. Any intended intervention needs to work with the cultural sensitivities of the

people as a given parameter, and not as a ‘quaint’ or ‘native’ culture to be treated and

showcased as a curiosity.

● Sensitive to the Nicobari Worldview

Vastly different from the ‘conventional’ or ‘mainland’ worldview, this includes everything

from family structure to economy to perception of property to ideals of ‘development’.

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Without a comprehensive understanding of this parameter, it is easy to derail the entire

process if the approach is a top-down one, rather than a participatory one.

● Sensitive to History

Awareness of the Nicobari history – not merely the larger, recorded one – but also local

history of tribes, family, etc, gives a valuable insight into possible alliances, feuds,

tensions, intercompatibilities, etc. This will prove crucial while bringing together

communities while forming settlements, as well as the unique requirements that may

crop up with specific communities.

● Sensitive to the Living Environment

The settlements, the plantations, the forests and the coastline – all together with the

people, form the living environment of the Nicobaris. The development proposals should

necessarily address these in a holistic framework to make the desired impact.

● Sensitive to the Traditional Livelihood Patterns

An outsider’s perception of economy and livelihood are invariably at loggerheads with

the reality for the Nicobaris. An excellent example is that of fishing. An insensitive outsider

assumes that the Nicobaris being islanders, should naturally be fisher folk. Nothing could

be farther from the truth. The only fishing that happens is at the subsistence level, and

not as a livelihood. Making available fishing nets to the Nicobari would be telling them to

change their very way of life so that they continue to survive.

● Sensitive to Rituals

Rituals among the Nicobaris – both cultural and religious – need to be understood and

respected. This needs to be integrated in the planning process in a manner that does not

conflict with their beliefs or offend their sensibilities.

Nicobari habitat

The Tuhet - households consist of maximal lineage members identified specifically under a particular

name. The significance of the tuhet is the socio-economic integrity of its members and an identity.

The Nicobari extended family system is based on shared resources and human power.

The extended household communally owns all productive assets. This economic and social

organization has a material basis.

● Dwelling Units

A traditional Nicobari house on the island of Katchal is built of wood. The woods used

are: ngang, makil, tachu-roi, bamboo, coconut, areca nut, etc. The roof is generally

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thatched. The material of the thatch is

symbolic of the status of the occupant

(e.g. a grass-thatched house signifies

higher status). Tin sheets are also used.

Traditionally houses are built on stilts of

about six feet height. Such a design

allows people to sit under it. It also helps

to store wood and to keep wild animals

away from the home. By convention,

practically no furniture was used in

homes. Most of the houses are held as

joint property by the clan. There is no

division of the house into rooms. The

houses are never fenced. The kitchen is

usually behind the living space, on the

level ground. A settlement consists in

8-10 households with 50-100 members.

Each household has a house in the

plantations. These plantation houses are

linked to each other through footpaths in the forests.

Currently the inhabitants of the island do not use any formal toilets. The proposal is therefore

for trench compost toilets. These constitute trenches dug in the ground for a depth of

about 2 meters. Two wooden boards act as step-ons. A bamboo mat or a coconut leaf mat

encloses the area with either a cloth for a door or a bamboo-mat swinging door hinged on

metal wires. A heap of ash and one of mud lie on the side of the trench. After use a handful

of ash is sprinkled in the trench.

When the contents reach a depth of 300mm the trench is filled in. Another trench is dug in

another place then. Trees can be planted in the vicinity of the old trench because the soil is

organically rich.

The toilets need to be placed away from water bodies or from areas that eventually drain

into the water bodies. Placing them at a substantial distance, of about 100-150 feet is safe

enough. A sloping roof protects the trench in wet weather from getting water logged. The

surrounding area is well drained and is sloped away from the pits. The top 0.5m of trench is

lined with plastic, secured under the floor plate.

Every week the contents are covered with 100 to 150 mm deep layer of soil. This reduces the

smell and prevents flies from breeding in the pit.

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● Energy, Waste management and Debris:

The Nicobar Islands show an increasing degree of dependence on diesel generators. This

proves expensive both economically and ecologically. Imports from the mainland need to

be drastically reduced so as to limit dependence on external energy resources. A suitable

option would be to restrict generator usage to lighting, as there is hardly a high power

requirement on the islands. Manual generators could also be introduced to meet household

and small scale industry needs. These generators would be operated on a need-based

scale and would save tremendously on import costs.

Another alternative would be to use solar power for lighting and heating requirements

on the islands. LED(light emitting diodes) light fixtures would also prove efficient as voltage

consumption and durability is high, thereby justifying initial expenses.

A natural waste product of the island, which is abundantly available throughout the year

and remains underutilised is coconut husk. This proves to be an effective fuel and cooking

medium. Biomass has been ruled out as a viable option for the islands.

In order to enforce compliance to sensitive and appropriate energy and waste management,

it would make sense to restrict the import of non-biodegradable products. Such a suggestion

is easy to implement, as the entry points for imported goods are few. Another option could

be to keep an account of packaging materials that enter the islands. For instance, if there

are fifty packets of processed food entering the island, fifty packets must be accounted for

at the time of disposal. To enhance this further, an incentive system could be built into the

PDS (public distribution system).

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An option which needs serious consideration is setting up of recycling plants on the islands.

Materials that are less complicated to recycle, like paper and cardboard can be renewed

on the islands until the requirements of a larger recycling plant to handle electronic wastes,

plastics and glass is designed. Along with the facility for recycling, the community must

take an active part in the recycling process. Awareness drives and accessible, easily

understood concepts need to be publicised. An example of simple household recycling is

that of composting, where biodegradable wastes could be fed back into kitchen gardens

and small plantations, thereby making the import and purchase of fertilisers redundant.

The INDÉ proposal for reconstruction incorporates using the existing debris along the

shore as a marker of the shore as well as demarcating a non-development area. Since the

quantity and composition of the debris is too large to dispose of or reuse for construction,

it proves to be both a psychological and physical barrier. The wreckage could be heaped

along the coast, separating the shore from community land and areas to be built upon in

future. This ‘heaping’ in turn, has a specific method which is to be followed. The debris

would have to be placed in a linear fashion, with a proper profile and further bound or

wrapped so as to prevent unravelling later on. The original green area would then assimilate

the debris heap while the demarcation would continue to remain. This would also prevent

further destruction to the mangroves. This seems to be the only solution with which to

deal with the debris as the amount of waste left over is uneconomical to cart back to the

mainland for disposal.

Participatory Approach to Rehabilitation

Participation by the local population must be the key aspect of the process of reconstruction.

The local population participation is underutilized and is rarely seen as skilled manpower is

already present on the site, which poses an undeniable financial advantage. Local people can

choose to build by themselves and receive compensation, or with NGOs as partner

implementing agencies. NGOs can support village layouts, designs, and new materials. When

material used for construction is locally available, importing resources becomes irrelevant.

Naturally, the local population takes into account environmental factors and cultural affinity.

New houses correspond to needs. Success of the project is found in the owner driven

construction principle. Experience has shown that local institutions and partnerships are

more effective than external interventions.

In addition, it becomes necessary to offer incentives for the affected people to become key

actors and players in their own revival activities. Local participation (from the beginning and

during the project cycle) enhances the entire process and output of reconstruction. The

undeniable advantage is that it reduces cost, while the presence onsite of available skilled

manpower greatly reduces costs and concerns for the knowledge transfer between members

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48

of the community. In turn, all the above will instil l a sense of ownership, and

consequentially of responsibility and thus will increase the quality of houses.

Aspects to be taken into consideration during the social reconstruction phase:

● Lifestyle - Reconstruction needs to be a logical and practical progression of their earlier

lifestyles. Any abrupt change to the lifestyle will be rejected. What we view as progress can be

very alien concepts to the islanders and hence will not be acceptable. It is too large a scale to

risk rejection or ill functioning.

● Home - The houses that are provided should be more like those they would consider to

be homes. Their concept of a living space is completely different from what we view as

an ideal living space. Homes also should have their own uniqueness, therefore variety and

flexibility in planning has to be an integral part of the design. The homes thus designed

should be welcomed by them and not seen as secondary substitutes.

● Cost - The cost factor should not be looked upon as an indicator of the quality of the

product provided. If a more appropriate solution comes up, and at a lower cost, those

options should be looked into. That being said, it would always be an advantage to

complete the project at the lowest cost possible. In the circumstances, collective or

individual profit making should not be the aim of the government agencies.

● External intervention - The islanders’ hesitation in allowing outsiders’ intervention is well

known. Thus it would be wise to take up a supporter’s role rather than a leader’s. Every effort

should be made to ensure that only the minimum number of outside people and materials

come to the island, so that they do not overload the system.

● Future of the place - The proposal should support their livelihood in the future and not

hamper it in anyway. The proposal should be sustainable within the island and should be

renewable by the islanders. It should not, in the future, be dependent on outside help for

their smooth operation, nor should they be forced to adopt an alien culture and lifestyle just

to continue their existence.

● Climate - The climate on the islands is hot and humid. Thus ventilation through all

possible surfaces is necessary. This necessitates an open type of planning and

appropriate materials to counter the heat. This point cannot be overlooked in designing

for the island.

● Environment - The Tsunami has already devastated the environment as much as it has done

harm to the human population. Further degradation is therefore inappropriate and

compromises the future of the island. Worldwide, people are trying hard to turn urban

lifestyles into environment friendly ones; we in India should not replace the island’s existing

environment friendly one with an unnatural one.

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● Identity of the island - The Island stands for an image and has its own identity. The

proposal should not negate it in any way. It can accentuate the identity to facilitate fast

upbringing and other goals, but without changing the essence of the island.

It is inappropriate to adopt the strategy, based on the common and present principle of

reconstruction. Solutions are very often precipitated on a massive scale, and are not

appropriate for lifestyle and demands of the local communities. The social process is very

often disregarded. It exists in close relationship with the livelihood and the social -cultural

links inherent in traditional societies. This is something that modern engineering solutions

refuse to acknowledge

4. Highlights of the INDÉ Review of the TCPO proposal

The review of the TCPO proposal brings forth the following points:

● Steel, in spite of its availability, durability, transport, construction, coating, maintenance

and replacement is highly impractical; given the climate (hot humid with saline

atmosphere), geographical state (away from the mainland) and topography (saline

water at very low depths) of the Islands. Thus the use of steel for structural and non-

structural purposes has to be rethought.

● Other materials are all transported from the mainland at a cost escalation of at least

300%. Furthermore they also use more energy and time for transportation to the islands

and so, are not appropriate for the islands too.

● Construction requires skilled labour from outside the islands, which brings forth the

question of their habitation, facilities, transport and extra wages. They also give rise

to other social concerns like intervention in local lives, reduction of earnings to the

locals (only about 30% of the labour costs go to the locals).

● The structures do not adapt themselves well to the hot and humid climate of the islands,

to provide a comfort zone for the inhabitants.

● The design proposed requires huge amounts of energy and fresh water, which are

already in short supply on the islands.

● Ambiguities and unclear statements about provision of various services like water

supply, sewage treatment and waste-water recycling have been observed in the

report document.

● The social structure, family structure, and life style are ignored. Impact of outside agencies

housing in the Islands is under estimated.

● The environmental cost and the environmental footprint are large. The proposal is sure to

degrade the existing environment both directly and indirectly.

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● Local materials, resources, labour and skill, building techniques, maintenance and evolved

ways of house design are completely ignored by the proposal. This creates constraints

and cost escalations

● The structure, its services, the community facilities and the layout imply a drastic change

in the lifestyles of the people, which is alien to their way of life and customs.

● Inherent faults in design mar the proposal. The proposal is non-flexible and nuclear family

oriented. Concepts such as toilets and kitchens within the house are alien to the people

and require high cost service systems too.

● Elaboration and the rationale behind the calculations for the development costs and the

common facilities are necessary.

● The agencies demand exorbitant fees (10% while the Council of Architecture

recommends 2.5%), extra payments and new vehicles for their work in the islands. It

is therefore practical to entrust the locals with the rebuilding process with only

supervisory support from the agencies.

● The constraints mentioned in the reports are decisive to the execution of the proposal;

but no conclusively appropriate solutions are given, to contain them.

● The cost indices and the area requirements show some anomalies that need to be

clarified.

5. The Proposed INDÉ Alternative

The proposed alternative to the TCPO model has been conceived as not merely a structural

alternative, but also one that is sensitive to other parameters elaborated above such as

Durability, Serviceability, Economy, Flexibility, Logistics, Environmental Impact and Socio-

Cultural impact. The basic building model proposed is inspired by the traditional housing unit

of the Nicobari community. It has adopted the bio-climatic approach and design which provides

“comfortable” living conditions with minimum investment and input of artificial energy.

(Refer Annexures 1 and 2)

Option for Car Nicobar andKatchal Islands

Option for Kamorta andTrinket Islands

Option for Chowra andTeressa Islands

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Material

● All the materials proposed are locally available (timber, coconut, bamboo for the structure)

● No steel, cement or precious sand to be used to make a design sustainable both environmentally

and economically.

Architecture

● The proposal has been developed after extensive interaction with the Nicobari community.

● The spaces created, closely follow the traditional models of housing and the way of life.

● The design has been developed with the express intention of being flexible to each

household’s needs (the family can improvise upon the design, change, alter, expand, delete,

etc, based on individual requirements, without compromising the structural integrity and

safety of the dwelling).

● Ventilation openings in all walls, the roof has large overhangs, to keep cooling air,

daylight, etc.

Technology

● The construction technology is based on models that satisfy the requirements for earthquake

resistance, structural stability and safety,

● The proposed model is adapted for using the available and local capacities in terms of

skills, tools, etc.

Economy

● The proposed alternative will cost the exchequer anywhere between 40 – 70% saving over

the TCPO model.

● The direct saving in costs comes through parameters such as materials, transportation, imported

labour and maintenance.

● The funds used during the reconstruction will flow to the Nicobaris themselves, thus

strengthening their position.

Socio-Cultural aspects

● The proposed settlement and habitat will reflect the traditional environment of the

Nicobaris. This will mean reduced psycho-social stress in the rehabilitation process.

● The proposed development strives to keep the social and familial structure of the Nicobaris

intact. This has obvious implications on the health of the community.

● Local capacities in term of skills and training can be built where the community has suffered

severe losses in terms of human lives, to enable them to participate in the reconstruction process.

● The proposed development model is designed in a manner to enable the Nicobaris

to construct the dwellings entirely on their own. This will foster a sense of ownership

and responsibility.

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Structural planning

Components of houses and method of construction:

Local materials and techniques are used in order to increase familiarity and relevance to local

communities:

● Wood (with coconut, bamboo, arecanut, etc.) is an excellent insulator and abundantly available

in the island

● Thatched roof (which symbolises the status of the occupant)

● Built on stilts (for practical adaptation to the climate and security aspect)

● No furniture

● No division of spaces into different rooms which are used very sparingly

● The kitchen is away from the living space

● Houses are built with the principle of open ventilation through walls and the floor

● Sloped roof, as protection from sun and rain, demands a steep sloping design

● A seating platform, which is the specific place for meeting, social relations

● Each house should be large enough to accommodate between 10 and 40 people

● A main entrance and exit point for the settlement

● Open court: drying occupations, celebrations, interactions, etc.

● The dwelling is situated in close proximity to the plantations

Planning guidelines

● Flexibility in design – the design is open for changes in a customized manner in each dwelling

within predetermined cost parameters.

● Allowance of semi-outdoor spaces to facilitate activities as per the prevalent lifestyle.

● Forming clusters of dwellings with outdoor working areas.

● Dwellings, kitchen, toilets and community houses form a cluster. A number of clusters with

common facilities and amenities form the whole settlement.

● More emphasis on environment friendly and sustainable ways of land development, which

are more economical in the long run, than the more artificial ways. E.g. Trench toilets instead

of a sewage treatment system.

● It is NOT necessary to level land for construction; the clusters can come up on contoured

surfaces. The structures can come up on flatter portions of land. Thus their position has to be

site- specific and not predetermined, though the general layout can be finished beforehand.

The nature of the structure allows construction on gently sloping terrain. The approach not

only reduces the cost of land development, but is also necessary to ensure minimum impact,

of the sudden and large scale construction, on the environment.

A long way to go

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● As has been mentioned, the people are not used to the idea of using conventional toilets.

Thus in the wake of the current situation and to manage future human waste, a system of

trench toilets has been proposed. They thus are only a minor change to their sanitation habits,

unlike the alien idea of using toilets within the confines of their homes.

● This simplifies the case of sanitation management, avoiding the necessity of a hugely expensive

and maintenance intensive sewage system. This system is local and disposes the waste in the

most hygienic and environmentally safe way.

Environment friendly / sustainable

● Low embodied energy in the materials, owing to low travel distances

● All materials are responsive to the local climate. E.g. bamboo is more durable in the saline

atmosphere than steel.

● Less processing, local manual labour ensures lesser environmental impact. E.g. bamboo won’t

require synthetic paints to coat it for protection.

● Local materials make repair easy and economical. Later, the locals do not have to spend

time, money and energy to transport items, which may not be available readily on the

islands, for repairs.

● When the structures need to be decommissioned or when any part of the building forms a

waste after exhausting its use, the materials will still form biodegradable waste and hence will

not pose an environmental hazard.

Social

● The construction involves local labour and demands skills that the locals are already

knowledgeable in. So labour need not be brought into the Islands at a high cost and at

the risk of disturbing the social equilibrium.

● Since the locals construct their own homes, there is a sense of self reliance involved,

which helps in the psychological rehabilitation of the victims.

● The social structure existing is reinforced in the proposed development model and is not broken.

Concepts of joint families and rural groups can continue undisturbed in the alternative proposal.

Economical

● Local materials and the subsequent local labour, confirm low costs of acquiring materials and

installing the structure.

● The installation is faster and dependence on outside agencies is reduced. This necessarily

means lower cost in completing the process.

● The proposal, as shown through the estimates and the comparisons, works out a lot more

economical.

● Almost 100 percent of the labour component of the building process goes to the locals.

The Nicobar Islands

54

Different phases of construction:

Phase-1

Foundation: 150mm dia (diameter) bamboo pieces are piled in the ground up to 450mm depth

and paced with the boulders, which act as vertical supports for the wall and the roof. The supports

provided for the wall and the roof are different and thus create space for the storage.

Phase-2

Macchhan: 75mm dia horizontal members are tied to the 150mm vertical supports and 75mm dia

cross members are laid on the primary horizontal members for the frame work for the flooring of

the macchhan. 50mm dia cut bamboo strips are tied together and used as ventilated flooring

material of average length 1.8m over the framework.

Phase-3

House: 75mm dia horizontal bamboo members are tied to the 150mm dia vertical supports and

75mm dia horizontal cross members are laid on the primary horizontal members for the framework

for the flooring of the house. 50mm dia cut bamboo strips are tied together and used as the

ventilated flooring material of average length 1.8m over the framework.

Phase-4

Roof:

Option-1: 100mm dia bamboo members are laid as rafters which rest on 150mm dia roof

supports.100 mm dia bamboo purlins are laid on the rafters for the framework for roofing.

For roofing material 1.2mx1.8m size GI (galvanized iron) sheets are used over which the

locally available grasses are tied in bunches and tied to a framework of 50mm dia bamboo

members for insulation.

Option-2: 100mm dia bamboo members are bent and tied to the horizontal supports to

form the vault shape.50mm dia intermediate bamboo members are tied to the horizontal

supports. Above those, 50mm dia horizontal cross members are tied to the mainframe

work for laying of roofing material. For roofing material, 0.9mx1.8m size GI sheets are used

over which the locally available grasses are tied in bunches and tied to the framework of

50mm dia bamboo members for insulation.

Option-3: 50mm dia bamboo segments are tied to form a perfect arch. Above this arch

50mm dia bamboo members are tied to the framework for the laying of GI sheet of size

0.9mx1.8m.For insulation, locally available grasses are tied in bunches and laid on the

framework of 50mm dia bamboo members.

A long way to go

55

Annexure 1:

Comparative Analysis

So as to keep the process simple and succinct, the comparative analysis has been developed

as a matrix, and where issues are of a subjective nature, a ranking has been developed based

on ease of operation, sustainability, etc. The scale of this ranking is on a 1 – 10 range,

1 being least desirable / appropriate and 10 being most desirable / appropriate.

A ranking has been developed based on multiple parameters such as economy, sustainability,

flexibility and appropriateness.

Table 1.1

TCPO Model Rank Suggested Alternative Rank

Material Profile    

Availability 100% import from mainland 1 90% locally available 9

Ease of working Skilled labour only 3 Skilled to semi-skilled labour 7

Ease of repair Fair to very difficult 2 Fair to very easy 8

Ease of replacement Very difficult   1 Very easy  9

Embodied energy  Extremely high 1 Extremely low to nil 10

Disposal mechanism Accumulated waste, no means 2 Totally bio-degradable, 10

of disposal on the islands  waste generated consumed

immediately

Degree of maintenance   Fair to high 2 Fair to high  2

Sustainability factor   Low to very low 1 High to extremely high  10

Sub-Total rank 13 / 90 65 / 90

Technology

Local skills available   Very low to nil 1 Fair to high  7

Possible skills upgradation   Low to very low 2 High to extremely high  9

Sustainability factor   Low to very low 1 High to extremely high  10

Degree of maintenance   Fair to high 2 Fair to high  2

Flexibility on-site Very low to nil 1 Extremely high 9

Sub-Total rank   7 / 50 37 / 50

The Nicobar Islands

56

Table 1.2

  TCPO Model Rank Suggested Alternative Rank

Environmental impact         

- During construction   High to very high 2 Low to very low  8

- During maintenance   Fair to high 5 Low to very low  8

- On marine life    High to very high 2 Very low to nil  10

- On coastal ecosystem Very high 2 Nil 10

- On water regime Very high 3 Very low 9

- On energy balance High to extremely high 1 Very low to nil 10

- On soil profile Extremely high 2 Very low 8

- On aesthetics Low to very poor 1 Extremely high 10

- On shoreline  High to extremely high  1 Low to nil  9

Sub-total rank  19 / 90 81 / 90

Table 1.3

  TCPO Model Rank Suggested Alternative Rank

Economics

Landed cost at the island Extremely high 1 Extremely low, almost free 9

Cost of maintenance  High to very high  2 Extremely low to nil  9

Benefit to local economy  Low to very low 2 Extremely high  10

Sustainability factor   Low to very low 1 High to extremely high  10

Sub-Total rank 6 / 40 38 / 40

Socio-cultural Aspects

Cultural suitability Very low to nil 1 Extremely High 9

Lifestyle suitability Low to very low 2 Extremely high 9

Degree of flexibility Very low to nil 1 Extremely high 9

Acceptability by Very low to nil 1 Extremely high 10

the Nicobari

Sub-Total rank 5 / 40 37 / 40

A long way to go

57

The overall ranking totals up as follows.

TCPO option : 50 / 310

Suggested alternative : 258 / 310

It is fairly obvious from the ranking of both the systems, that the most logical option is also the most sustainable

and appropriate one.

It is strongly recommended that the administration review the present proposal so as render it more appropriate

to the situation on the Nicobar Islands in terms of Environmental, Economic, Cultural and Sustainable parameters.

ESTIMATE FOR THE COST OF EACH CLUSTER

    Cluster 1 Cluster 2 Cluster 3

a No. of people per cluster 150 150 150

b Type of Dwelling Car Nicobara Kamorta and Chaura

and Katchal Trinket Islands and Tarassa

c No. of Occupants per Dwelling (Table 4.6,e) 9 14 18

d Number of Dwellings (a/c) 16.67 10.71 8.33

e No .of Dwellings (rounded up) 17 11 9

f Cost of Each Dwelling (Table 4.6, l) 206546.70 289437.12 248121.34

g Cost of Total No. of Dwellings (e x g) 3511293.90 3183808.32 2233092.06

h Cost of Land Development of cluster

(25% of the building cost) 877823.48 795952.08 558273.02

i Cost of Construction per unit area (Rs./Sq.M.)

(Table 4.6,g) 4835.38 6527.57 5566.66

j Cost of Community Centre ( 95 Sq. M.) 459361.1 620119.15 528832.70

k Cost of the Cluster 4848478.48 4599879.55 3320197.78

The Nicobar Islands

58

Annexure 2: Integrated Design proposals

A long way to go

59

The Nicobar Islands

60

A long way to go

61

The Nicobar Islands

62

Table 2.1

COST ESTIMATE FOR DWELLING, OPTION 1:

Proposed dwelling unit for 9 people in Nicobar Islands

No. ITEM Qty Unit Rate Amount

(Rs.) (Rs.)

1 MACCHAN (area: 20.40 sqm)

1.01 Providing and laying of horizontal bamboo members of

length 6.5 m, 14 nos. for frame work of the floor as per design 91.00 Rm 15.00 1,365.00

1.02 Providing and laying of cut bamboo strips of 50 mm width

and of avg. length 1.8m over the frame work as per design 20.40 Sqm 2000.00 40,800.00

2 HOUSE (area: 18.00 sqm)        

2.01 Erecting 150 mm dia vertical members of length 3300 mm,

15 nos. for the wall support as per design 56.75 Rm 25.00 1,418.75

2.02 Providing and laying of 75 mm dia. horizontal bamboo members

of length 6.5m, 14 nos. for frame work of the floor as per design 91.00 Rm 15.00 1,365.00

2.03 Providing and laying of cut bamboo strips of 50 mm width and

of length avg 1.8m over the frame work for floor as per design 18.00 Sqm 2000.00 36,000.00

2.04 Providing and laying of cut bamboo strips of 30 mm width and

of length avg 1.8m over the frame work for wall as per design 43.20 Sqm 100.00 4,320.00

3 ROOF        

3.01 Providing and laying 50 mm dia bamboo purlins of length

8700 mm, 18 nos. for the roof frame work as per design 156.60 Rm 12.00 1,879.20

3.02 Providing and laying 100 mm dia bamboo rafters of length

9000 mm for the roof frame work as per design 99.00 Rm 20.00 1,980.00

3.03 Providing and laying of G.I. sheet of size 1200 mm x 2400 mm

on the frame work for roofing material as per design including

transportation cost to the site 90.23 Sqm 1000.00 90,230.00

3.04 Providing and laying of locally available thatch on the frame

work of roofing for insulation and bamboo matting for the

lining of ceiling inside the house as per design 90.23 Sqm 50.00 4,511.50

4 FOUNDATION        

4.01 Excavating the earth upto 600 mm depth and 450 mm x

450 mm size for fixing of vertical supports 3.65 Cum 200.00 729.00

4.02 Fixing of verticals by backfilling and packing with boulders 3.60 Cum 300.00 1,080.00

GRAND TOTAL (Cost Per Structure)       185,678.45

  Note:  

  50 mm dia bamboo Rs 12/- per runing M.  

  75 mm dia bamboo Rs 15/- per runing M.  

  100 mm dia bamboo Rs 20/- per runing M.  

  150 mm dia bamboo Rs 25/- per runing M.      

A long way to go

63

Table 2.2

COST ESTIMATE FOR DWELLING, OPTION 2:

Proposed dwelling unit for 14 people in Nicobar Islands

No. ITEM Qty Unit Rate Amount

(Rs.) (Rs.)

1 MACCHAN (area: 40.00 sqm)

1.01 Providing and laying of 75 mm dia. horizontal bamboo

members of length 6.5m, 14 nos. for frame work of the floor

as per design 130.00 Rm 15.00 1,950.00

1.02 Providing and laying of cut bamboo strips of 50 mm width and

of avg. length 1.8m over the frame work as per design 40.00 Sqm 2000.00 80,000.00

2 HOUSE (area: 40.00 sqm)        

2.01 Erecting 150 mm dia vertical members of length 3300 mm,

15 nos. for the wall support as per design 135.00 Rm 25.00 3,375.00

2.02 Providing and laying of 75 mm dia. horizontal bamboo

members of length 6.5m, 14 nos. for frame work of the floor

as per design 91.00 Rm 15.00 1,365.00

2.03 Providing and laying of cut bamboo strips of 50 mm width and

of length avg 1.8m over the frame work for floor as per design 40.00 Sqm 2000.00 80,000.00

2.04 Providing and laying of cut bamboo strips of 30 mm width and

of length avg 1.8m over the frame work for wall as per design 47.33 Sqm 100.00 4,733.00

3 ROOF        

3.01 Providing and laying 100 mm dia bamboo members of length

8600 mm of 7 nos. for the roof frame work as per the design 60.20 Rm 20.00 1,204.00

3.02 Providing and laying 50 mm dia intermediate bamboo

members of length 8600 mm of 18 nos for the roof frame

work as per the design 154.80 Rm 12.00 1,857.60

3.03 Providing and laying of G.I. sheet of size 1200 mm x 2400 mm

on the frame work for roofing material as per design including

transportation cost to the site 80.76 Sqm 1000.00 80,760.00

3.04 Providing and laying of locally available grass on the frame

work of roofing for insulation and bamboo matting for the

false ceiling inside the house as per design 80.76 Sqm 50.00 4,038.00

4 FOUNDATION        

4.01 Excavating the earth upto 600 mm depth and 450 mm x

450 mm size for fixing of vertical supports 3.64 Cum 200.00 728.00

4.02 Fixing of verticals by backfilling and packing with boulders 3.64 Cum 300.00 1,092.00

  GRAND TOTAL       261,102.60

  Note:  

  50 mm dia bamboo Rs 12/- per runing M.  

  75 mm dia bamboo Rs 15/- per runing M.  

  100 mm dia bamboo Rs 20/- per runing M.  

  150 mm dia bamboo Rs 25/- per runing M.

The Nicobar Islands

64

Table 2.3

COST ESTIMATE FOR DWELLING, OPTION 3:

Proposed dwelling unit for 18 people in Nicobar Islands

No. ITEM Qty Unit Rate Amount

        (Rs.) (Rs.)

1 MACCHAN (area: 38.40 sqm)

1.01 Providing and laying of horizontal bamboo members of length

6.5m, 14 nos. for frame work of the floor as per design 138.00 Rm 15.00 2,070.00

1.02 Providing and laying of cut bamboo strips of 50 mm width and

of avg. length 1.8m over the frame work as per design 40.00 Sqm 2000.00 80,000.00

2 HOUSE (area: 38.40 sqm)        

2.01 Erecting 150 mm dia vertical members of length 3300 mm,

15 nos. for the wall support as per design 86.40 Rm 25.00 2,160.00

2.02 Providing and laying of 75 mm dia horizontal bamboo

members of length 6.5m, 14 nos. for frame work of the floor

as per design 138.00 Rm 15.00 2,070.00

2.03 Providing and laying of cut bamboo strips of 50 mm width and

of length avg 1.8m over the frame work for floor as per design 40.00 Sqm 2000.00 80,000.00

2.04 Providing and laying of cut bamboo strips of 30 mm width and

of length avg 1.8m over the frame work for wall as per design 46.15 Sqm 100.00 4,615.00

3 ROOF        

3.01 Providing and laying of 50 mm dia bamboo members of length

4100 mm of 30 nos. bent to form a perfect arch for the roof

frame work as per the design 123.00 Rm 12.00 1,476.00

3.02 Providing and laying 50 mm dia cross bamboo members of

length 2280 mm of 44 nos for the roof frame work as per

the design 100.32 Rm 12.00 1,203.84

3.03 Providing and laying of locally available thatch

on the frame work of roofing as per design 783.90 Sqm 50.00 39,195.00

4 FOUNDATION        

4.01 Excavating the earth upto 600 mm depth and

450 mm x 450 mm size for fixing of vertical supports 1.94 Cum 200.00 388.00

4.02 Fixing of verticals by backfilling and packing with boulders 1.94 Cum 300.00 582.00

  GRAND TOTAL       213,759.84

  Note:  

  50 mm dia bamboo Rs 12/- per runing M.  

  75 mm dia bamboo Rs 15/- per runing M.  

  100 mm dia bamboo Rs 20/- per runing M.  

  150 mm dia bamboo Rs 25/- per runing M.        

 

A long way to go

65

Table 2.4

COST ESTIMATE FOR KITCHEN:

Proposed Kitchen for the settlements (7.5 Sq.m.)

No. ITEM Qty Unit Rate Amount Remarks

        (Rs.) (Rs.)  

1 Structure          

1.01 Erecting 100 mm dia vertical bamboo members

of length 3m of 4 nos as per the design 12.00 Rm 20.00 240.00  

2 Wall          

2.01 Providing and laying of 100 mm dia bamboo

as rafters of length 3.6m in 3 nos for the roof

frame work as per design 10.80 Rm 20.00 216.00  

2.02 Providing and laying of 50 mm dia bamboo

as rpurlins of length 3.1m in 6 nos for the

roof frame work as per design 18.60 Rm 12.00 223.20  

3 Roof          

3.01 Providing and laying of g.i sheet of

1.2mx1.8m size on the frame work as per design 11.16 Sqm 600.00 6,696.00  

  GRAND TOTAL       7,375.20  

Table 2.5

COST ESTIMATE FOR TRENCH TOILETS:

Proposed Toilets for the settlements (2 nos.)

No. ITEM Qty Unit Rate Amount Remarks

(Rs.) (Rs.)  

1 Walls        

1.01 Erecting 100 mm dia vertical bamboo members

of length 3m, 6 nos as per design 18.00 Rm 20.00 360.00  

1.02 Providing and laying of 150 mm dia horizontal

bamboo members for foot rest and floor plates

of length 9000 mm as per design 9.00 Rm 25.00 225.00  

1.03 Providing and fixing flexible bamboo partition

mat for non load bearing walls as per design 21.30 Sqm 200.00 4,260.00  

The Nicobar Islands

66

No. ITEM Qty Unit Rate Amount Remarks

(Rs.) (Rs.)  

1.04 Erecting bamboo members of 50 mm dia of

length 20.8m for door shutters as per the design 20.80 Rm 12.00 249.60  

2 Roof          

2.01 Providing and laying of 100 mm dia horizontal

bamboo members of length 2.7m, 6 nos.

for frame work of the roof as per design 16.20 Rm 20.00 324.00  

2.02 Providing and laying of of 50 mm dia. Purlins,

10 nos of length 3m over the rafters for

the frame work of roof as per design 30.00 Rm 12.00 360.00  

2.03 Providing and laying of g.I sheet of

size 1200 mm x 2400 mm on the frame work

for roofing material as per design including

transportation cost to the site 16.20 Sqm 600.00 9,720.00  

3 Pit          

3.01 Excavating the earth upto 2000 mm depth and

1500 mm x 3600 mm size for the trench 10.80 Cum 200.00 2,160.00  

3.01 Providing and laying of plastic sheet of

size 1200 mm x 1500 mm in the trench

as per design 3.60 Sqm 50.00 180.00  

  GRAND TOTAL       17,838.60  

  Cost of Single toilet (grand total / 2) 8919.30

A long way to go

67

Table 2.6

ESTIMATE FOR THE COST OF EACH TYPE OF DWELLING

    Option 1 Option 2 Option 3

a Area of room (sq. m.) 18.00 40.00 38.40

b Area of Machan (sq. m.) 20.40 40.00 38.40

c Total Area (sq. m.) (a+b) 38.40 80.00 76.80

d Plinth Area (sq.m.) 38.40 40.00 38.40

e No. of Occupants per dwelling (as per design) 9 14 18

f Cost of Structure (Rs.) 185678.45 261102.60 213759.84

g Cost of Construction per unit Plinth Area

(Rs./sq.m.) (f/d) 4835.38 6527.57 5566.66

h No. of W.C. (@ 1 per 6 persons) (e/6) 1.50 2.33 3.00

i Cost of each W.C. (Rs.) (Ref. Table x.5) 8995.50 8995.50 8995.50

j Cost of W.C.s (Rs.) (i X h) 13493.25 20959.52 26986.50

k Cost of Kitchen ( 1 per Stucture) (Rs.) 7375.00 7375.00 7375.00

l Total Cost of Dwelling ( Including Kit. & W.C.)

(Rs.) (f+j+k) 206546.70 289437.12 248121.34

m Cost of Dwelling per person (Rs.) (l/e) 22949.63 20674.08 13784.52

Table 2.7

ESTIMATE FOR THE COST OF EACH CLUSTER

    Cluster 1 Cluster 2 Cluster 3

a No. of people per cluster 150 150 150

b Type of Dwelling Option 1 Option 2 Option 3

c No. of Occupants per Dwelling (Ref. Table 4.6,e) 9 14 18

d Number of Dwellings (a/c) 16.67 10.71 8.33

e No .of Dwellings (rounded up) 17 11 9

f Cost of Each Dwelling (Ref. Table 4.6, l) 206546.70 289437.12 248121.34

g Cost of Total No. of Dwellings (e x g) 3511293.90 3183808.32 2233092.06

h Cost of Land Development of cluster

(25% of the building cost) 877823.48 795952.08 558273.02

i Cost of Construction per unit area (Rs./Sq.M.)

(Ref. Table 4.6,g) 4835.38 6527.57 5566.66

j Cost of Community Centre ( 95 Sq. M.) 459361.1 620119.15 528832.70

k Cost of the Cluster 4848478.48 4599879.55 3320197.78

Table 2.8

ESTIMATE FOR THE RECONSTRUCTIONS AT THE GIVEN ISLANDS

    Car Nicobar Southern Island: Teressa,

Katchal, Kamorta & Nancowry

a Total Population (as per the CPWD Report pg. 17,43) 21000 15000

b Type of Cluster Cluster 1 Cluster 2 Cluster 3

c No. of people per Cluster 150 150 150

d No. of Cluster 140 50 50

e Cost of Each Cluster (Ref. Table 4.7,k) 4848478.48 4599879.55 3320197.78

f Total cost of Clusters 678786987.20 229993977.50 166009889.00

g Total 678786987.20 396003866.50

h Number of Dwellings 2380 550 450

i Built up area for common facilities (sq.m.)

(as per the CPWD proposals, Pg. 13,40) 29240.00 19830.00

j Cost of Construction per unit area (Rs./Sq.M.)

(table 4.6,g)(maximum of the applicable costs) 4835.38 6527.57

k Cost of Common Facilities 141386511.20 129441713.10

l Total Estimated Cost 820173498.40 525445579.60

m Rain water Harvesting (as per the

CPWD proposal,pg. 1,27) 10000000.00 27000000.00

n Waste-water Recycling 15000000.00

o Non-conventional Energy 10000000.00

  GRAND TOTAL 855173498.40 552445579.60

    i.e. Rs.85.52 cr. i.e. Rs.55.24 Cr.

Say Rs.85.75 cr. Say Rs.55.50 cr.

    Cluster 1 Cluster 2 Cluster 3

Working Paper No.1, May 2007

68

JTCDM Working Paper Series

The Jamsetji Tata Centre for Disaster Management (JTCDM) introduces a working

paper series to enhance the knowledge and research base in disaster management

and also report on the scholarly activities of faculty members, research students

and practitioners associated with the Centre.

The working papers represent the previously unarticulated, mostly invisible or

intangible intellectual contributions of the JTCDM community or others who may

be working in collaboration with local communities, policy makers or other

organizations in the field of disaster management.

The papers will thus contribute to the development of ideas, or make a theoretical

and / or practical contribution to an area of research or field of study or to public

policy in disaster related concerns. They will serve as a useful modality to discover

new conceptual areas and cutting-edge research topics, teaching and intervention

approaches. It is expected that a working paper will develop into a publication in

a professional journal or similar format within a short period of time.

The JTCDM Working Papers could be prepared from recent research reports, technical

papers, discussion papers and occasional papers as well as field projects. Assignments or

research projects of fellows / students of JTCDM could also be considered for developing

into working papers. Occasionally, they may be used by the Centre to recruit or attract

new faculty members and research associates in order to assess their writing and

research abilities.