the light of andamans

VOL: 35 n ISSUE: 27 n FRIDAY n 17 FEBRUARY 2012 PORT BLAIR n Rs. 5.00 n PAGES 8 n RNI No. 28480/75

POSTAL REGN NO. PBLRNP/08/2008-2010www.lightofandamans.blogspot.com

ROHINGYASENDLESSWAIT FORREPATRIATION

About 400 desperate soulsrescued from the seas and

detained in a DistressCamp, for almost three

years at Port Blair, dreamfor a free life and areunion with their

families. Abandoned byboth Myanmar and

Bangladesh, their fatehangs in balance, with an

indecisive governmentpolicy and a sluggish pace

of repatriation.

GREENPEACEEXPOSES PIRATE

FISHING OFFANDAMAN COAST

2 |cover|STORY THE LIGHT OF ANDAMANS, Port Blair 17 FEBRUARY 2012

During its ongoing monthlong expedition to highlightthe urgent need for marine

conservation in India, activistsfrom the Greenpeace ship MVEsperanza encountered fourBurmese vessels fishing illegallyin the Indian economic exclusivezone (EEZ) off the AndamanIslands coast on 19 Feb 2012. Thevessels did not have proper regis-tration documents or a clearly dis-played name. Their catch consist-ed of mainly shark and some yel-low fin tuna. All four vessels left

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

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

India's marine managementhas been riddled with irregulari-ties and poor enforcement whichhas resulted in overfishing andfurther degradation of India'soceans. This not only leads tospread of illegal and unsustain-able fishing practices in the

Indian EEZ , but also loss of liveli-hoods for the Indian fishermensince the fish caught by the for-eign vessels goes unreported andunaccounted for. The whole ofFebruary, the biggest and fastestGreenpeace ship investigates thethreats posed to our oceans and

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Brazil, followed by the EleventhConference of Parties (COP) ofthe Convention on BiologicalDiversity (CBD) in October 2012at Hyderabad will have a strongemphasis on Ocean conservation.

"As host nation to the CBD COPand a key player on global gover-nance of the high seas, India hasthe opportunity and responsibili-ty to ensure that these multi-later-al forums deliver the changerequired. While the seas andOceans might seem infinite, theyare fast approaching their limits ofendurance. The need is for action,and the time for it is now" con-cluded Hamid.

therefore the livelihoods of hun-dreds of millions dependent onthem. An estimated 10 to 12 mil-lion people in India rely on fish-eries for food or employment,either directly or indirectly. Thelosses accrued from IUU fishingin the Indian EEZ, are estimatedbetween $250 to $ 320 millionannually.

"The occurrence of these ille-gal vessels is a perfect example ofan industry that continues theunsustainable plunder of ouroceans. To demonstrate thatIndia is serious about controllingits own fishing industry and pro-tect coastal communities, itneeds to put an immediate end topractices of illegal, unreportedand unregulated fishing going onin our EEZ" Areeba Hamid,Greenpeace India OceansCampaigner said.

"The Ministry of Agriculturehas to put in place an effectivefisheries management planwhich is based on a sustainableapproach, secures the livelihoodsof millions, protects fragilemarine ecosystems and stopspirate fishing. As part of its com-mitment to biodiversity conser-vation, India will host theeleventh Conference of theParties (COP) to the UnitedNations Convention on BiologicalDiversity (CBD) in October 2012.As host nation, COP 11 is anopportunity for India to be a pro-gressive and important player onthe global conservation stage.But in order to be a true oceanconservation champion, Indiashould take measures to protectits own territorial waters, onwhich millions depend upon,right now."Hamid said.

Governance gaps in marine fisheries allow Illegal, unreportedand unregulated fishing to gounabated in the EEZ.

Greenpeace Exposes PirateFishing Off Andaman Coast


BYZUBAIRAHMED

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

However life was not that easy inBangladesh. He remained 8months in Chittagong andthought of moving to Malaysia.

When he heard that CaptainRafeeque, would take him toMalaysia for an amount of 15-20thousand takas, he too joined the102 member group. Rafeeque,known as Captain promised thema safe landing in Malaysia. It tookabout 8 days to reach Phuket ontheir way, where they were inter-cepted by Thai Navy. They couldsee around 120 suchArakanese/Bangladeshi econom-ic migrants already detained bythe Thai Navy.

Lately, the Thai authorities hadpicked Red Sand Island for 'pro-cessing' the Rohingyas beforepushing them into the sea. Theyare subjected to inhuman tortureand humiliation in the process.They are detained on the beachwith gun-trotting guards abusingand torturing them. About 413 ofthese boat people were loadedinto a dead engineless incapaci-tated wooden boat and towed

ROHINGYAS: ENDLESSWAIT FOR REPATRIATIONAbout 400 desperate souls rescued from the seas and detained in a distress campfor almost three years at Port Blair dream for a free life and a reunion with theirfamilies. Abandoned by both Myanmar and Bangladesh, their fate hangs in bal-ance, with an indecisive government policy and the sluggish pace of repatriation.

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

Distress Camp at Brookshabad


deep into the sea for 24 hours andleft to drift. Two bags of boiledrice and two jars of water wereprovided on each boat. There wasno provision to cook the rice. Theysoaked it in water and chewedraw. But that too did not last morethan two days. 412 persons tossedin a boat with no space to evenmove, they drifted in the sea formore than 15 days and they evenlost the count of days after a cer-tain period. Hunger and thirstdrove them mad. Everyday, theywere throwing dead bodies intothe sea. When after a long period,the boat drifted towards LittleAndaman Islands, where theywere spotted and rescued by theA&N police and ANC, out of 413,only 107 survived.

They arrived at Port Blair fam-ished and totally dehydrated.They were shifted to hospital.After they recovered from thetrauma, they were jointly interro-gated by police and defence per-sonnel. Although there is no lackof facilities, what they rue isdetention without any crime.When asked SBS Deol, DGP toldLOA, "They are not criminals andthere is no justification in holdingthem in a detention camp, and Ithink they should be givenRefugee status by Government ofIndia."

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

One more incapacitated boatcarrying 133 Rohingyas reachedPillow Millow village in Great

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

However, the villagers took outtheir boats and with great difficul-ties towed the drifting boat to thevillage in a very rough weather.The Rohingyas were famishedand dehydrated as was the casewith earlier arrivals in the Islands.There was not much in the villageto offer over 130 hungry people,said Paul Jura, the tribal chief ofthe village from Campbell Bay.However, the villagers offeredthem banana and whatever elsethey could. The police inCampbell Bay was alerted thougheven that in itself was a monu-mental task.

The issue is very serious forthose of Burmese origin. Therewere about 107 of them, out ofwhich 38 of them were rescued in2008 and only one of them wasrepatriated. Another group of 37were found on Barren Island inDecember 2011. 34 more ofBurmese origin was rescued nearGoal Tikrey, Kalighat on 23December 2011.

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

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

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

“They are not crimi-nals and there is nojustification in hold-ing them in a deten-

tion camp, and Ithink they should begiven Refugee status

by Govt of India.”

— SBS Deol, IPS, DGP

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

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

UNENDING WAIT: At the Distress Camp at Brookshabad.

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


Valentine’s Day: Fun and Fuss

PAUPER’S LOG |ABU ARSH

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

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

In India, around 1992Valentine's Day started catchingup with special TV and radio pro-grams, and even love letter com-petitions. The economic liberal-ization also helped the Valentinecard industry. In modern times,religious traditionalists considerthe day to be cultural contamina-tion from the West, result of theglobalization in India. Groupsand political outfits like the SriRam Sena, Shiv Sena, Bajrangdal and the Sangh Parivar haveasked their followers to shun theday and the "public admission oflove" because of them being"alien to Indian culture". Theseprotests are organized by politicalelites, but the protesters them-selves are middle-class Indianmen who fear that the globaliza-tion will destroy the traditions inour society: arranged marriages,joint families, full-time mothersand so on.

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

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

chocolates, mobile phones, MP3players and wrist watches, peo-ple in our country spend lakhs onthis particular day," According tothe Associated Chambers ofCommerce and Industry of India(Assocham), the expenditureduring Valentine's week last yearwas a whopping Rs.12,000 crore.

This year the moral brigadeoutfits like Shiv Sena, who cracksdown on love-struck couples onValentine's had no real intentionto play spoilsport on Feb 14. Oneof the reasons behind this changeof heart is the bad reputationthey were getting. In the past,religious radicals kept vigil atparks, restaurants and otherplaces on the day to prevent cou-ples from getting close, and alsoattacked greeting card shops,pubs and gardens to protest thecelebrations, drawing wide-spread criticism. Though theBajrang Dal opposed celebra-tions this year by asking couplesto marry or tie a Rakhi on thespot at parks and other venues asthe cost of public display of love.

Historically, it's very hard tofind a proper link between SaintValentine and love. No romanticelements are present in the origi-nal early medieval biographies ofeither Valentine of Rome orValentine of Terni around 200AD. Valentine became linked toromance without much sub-stance in the 14th century; dis-tinctions between Valentine ofRome and Valentine of Terniwere utterly lost.

The islands too didn't lagbehind in celebrating the day,though for most of us -the redsand pinks splattered across atcard stores and gift shops chokeus out. Non-stop love songs beingplayed across all radio stations,music channels, and kids askingfor a raise in pocket moneymakes one feel like pulling yourhair in disgust. These trends mustbe well understood and not apedso as to not let these celebrationscontribute to more social andmoral corruption; our island'ssociety is already deeplyembroiled in. Kids can have allthe fun and not go overboard.Once our kids go for higher stud-ies to the mainland and are ontheir own, they become vulnera-ble to such trends and attractions.With the dearth of entertainmentand constructive avenues in theislands, kids have very limitedopportunities to unwind or havesome fun except for occasionslike these. These may lead toissues which make headlinenews like what we've been read-ing and watching a lot of late.

According to AmnestyInternational, the Rohingyapeople have continued to

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

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

"In 1978 over estimated num-ber of 200,000 Rohingyas fled toBangladesh, following the'Nagamin' ('Dragon King') opera-tion of the Myanmar army.Officially this campaign aimed at"scrutinising each individual liv-ing in the state, designating citi-zens and foreigners in accordancewith the law and taking actionsagainst foreigners who have fil-tered into the country illegally".This military campaign directlytargeted civilians, and resulted inwidespread killings, rape anddestruction."

"During 1991-92 a new wave ofthe estimated number of a quarterof a million Rohingyas fled toBangladesh. They reported wide-

spread forced labour, as well assummary executions, torture, andrape. Rohingyas were forced towork without pay by theMyanmar army on infrastructureand economic projects, oftenunder harsh conditions. Manyother human rights violationsoccurred in the context of forcedlabour of Rohingya civilians bythe security forces."

Rohingyas or Bangladeshis?The boatpeople pushed deep

into the sea to drift by Thaiauthorities and reached theAndaman shores facing hardshipsand ordeals now face a major cri-sis - Burmese does not recognizeRohingyas/Arakanese as their cit-izens, and many of them living in

Bangladesh does not possess anypaper from Bangladesh govern-ment. Most of these state-less peo-ple were living in the bordertowns of Bangladesh. Two-thirdof us is from Cox Bazar inBangladesh.

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

"As we are landless, our familieslive in rented houses there," saidAbdul Rehman, who had crossedfrom Myanmar and living with hisfamily in Cox Bazar. "We wouldlike to go back to our families inBangladesh," he said.

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

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

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

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

Bangladeshi official suspects usto be Arakanese," he worriedlysaid.

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

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

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

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

Please Unite Us with OurFamilies: Mohd Muslim

Persecution of Rohingyas

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

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

Thailand and Malaysia.

6 |edit|PAGE THE LIGHT OF ANDAMANS, Port Blair 17 FEBRUARY 2012

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

Buffer Zone Hearing: DisappointedT

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Vishal Jolly unconvincingly tried to draw the attention of the Commission towardsthe Battle of Aberdeen, purportedly fought between British and Andamanese andcould not drive his point home. Citing the Census figures he said that Jarawas popu-lation has increased 58% whereas the settler population had a meager growth of 8%.He also contended that had the villagers not settled in those areas, poachers wouldhave killed the Jarawas. However, he overlooked the point that the most pristine for-est reserve is still the Jarawa Reserve and all other forests under the control of the set-tlers are plundered to the hilt.

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

Dr R K Haldar too gave a lengthy speech about the anthropological aspects ofJarawas. Hamid Ali asserted that Jarawas are no more primitive and only Sentinaleseare primitive in nature. Although, in favour of mainstreaming Jarawas, he contra-dicted himself by suggesting that Jarawas should be settled in South SentinaleseIsland, where they will remain uncontacted. Ranjit Kumar Banerjee emphasized thatbefore taking any decision, views of the Jarawas should be sought.

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

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

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

SACRED | SPACE

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

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

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

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

was excellent in climbing until hedeveloped frustration in the flyingclass where his teacher made him startfrom the ground up instead of fromthe treetop down. He also developed a“charlie horse” from overexertion andthen got a C in climbing and a D in run-ning. The eagle was a problem childand was disciplined severely. In theclimbing class he beat all the others tothe top of the tree, but insisted onusing his own way to get there.

At the end of the year, an abnormaleel that could swim exceedingly well,and also run, climb and fly a little, hadthe highest average and was valedicto-rian.

The prairie dogs stayed out of schooland fought the tax levy because theadministration would not add diggingand burrowing to the curriculum.They apprenticed their children to abadger and later joined the ground-hogs and gophers to start a successfulprivate school.

Does this fable have a moral?

The Animal School

17 February 2012 | Vol 35 Issue 27

Fearing that the Forest Rights Act,2006, will be used as a populistprogramme leading to ineligible

people benefitting from land grants,the Director-General of Forests haswritten to all Chief Secretaries ofStates to exercise restraint in grantingland ownership records (pattas).

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

Speaking about what had led tothese fears, he said that there wereseveral instances of land being grant-ed to non-tribal people under the leg-islation without proper verification.The legislation was passed to protectthe rights of indigenous people whohave either habitation or cultivableland within a forest area.

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

The need of the hour was

“respectable rehabilitation” and notnecessarily relocation, said Mr.Mukherjee, adding that the Centre'sallocation for these programmes was“skimpy”. He suggested that moneyallocated under Special ComponentPlan (SCP) and Tribal Sub-Plan (TS)could also be used for this. Mr.Mukherjee said that projects by non-governmental organisations shouldnot become “bypass” programmes forthe existing government pro-grammes. He emphasised the need toachieve convergence between com-munity-based organisations andstatutory bodies.

Underlining the difficulties inexpanding forest cover, he said that itwas important to ensure that theexisting pristine bio-diversity areaswere not lost. While some cover couldbe increased in agro-forestry, which islargely monoculture, lost bio-diversitycould never be recovered, he added.

P.J. Dilip Kumar, Director-Generalof Forests, said that a project to add orregenerate 10 million hectares of for-est cover over the next 10 years wouldstart from April this year.

Ananth Hegde Ashisara, Chairmanof the Western Ghats Task Force, saidthat the village forest committeeswere playing a crucial role in preserv-ing forests,. He said that the StateGovernment should allocate Rs. 10crore for them in the coming budget.

Exercise Restraint WhileGranting Land Ownership

Records, States Told

7 |home|PAGE THE LIGHT OF ANDAMANS, Port Blair 17 FEBRUARY 2012

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LICENSEE CENTRES : Ø SAVERA COMPUTER EDN. & TRG . CENTRE, Bhatu Basthi, Ph. 250750 Ø ISA COMPUTER CENTRE , Kadamtala , Ø TECHNOZONE COMPUTER CENTRE, Rangat Bazar, Ph. 275268

UUNNDDEERR MMIITT,, GG OOVVTT.. OOFF IINNDDIIAA

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

ALL AT A VERY REASONABLE FEE STRUCTUR E!

Admission Going On !

BBEECCAAUUSSEE EEDDUUCCAATTIIOONN GGOOEESS BBEEYYOONNDD BBUUSSIINNEESSSS

Jawaharlal Nehru RajkeeyaMahavidyala has set a newstandard by organizing

TechnoVaganza 2012, an inter-Collegiate IT Festival inauguratedby the Commissioner-cum-Secretary (Higher Education),Shri B.S. Bhalla as the Chief Gueston 16 Feb 2012.

Speaking on the occasion, ShriBhalla appreciated the way inwhich information technologywas being promoted through festi-val like 'TechnoVaganza'. Hehoped that the entire student com-munity of college and schools inthese islands will soon get oppor-tunity to avail IT facilities. Hehoped that the submarine opticalfibre cable will be available inabout 18 months providinggreater bandwidth to the users inthese islands and bringing ITindustries to these islands. He con-gratulated the staff of ComputerScience Department for organiz-ing 'technovaganza'.

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

College. He thanked theCommissioner-cum-Secretary(Higher Education) for his sup-port and encouragement in thedevelopment of the College.

Describing the purpose of hold-ing the TechnoVaganza, ShriVinod NC, HOD, Department ofComputer Science said that thefestival was aimed at exploring theyoung talents in the field ofInformation Technology and linkup the student community underone roof. The inaugural pro-gramme concluded with vote ofthanks proposed by Shri RajeevKumar Tiwari, Assistant Professor,Department of Computer Science.

In the second session, teamsfrom DBRAIT, TGCE, ITI, IGNOU,DDE Annamalai University &JNRM participated in excitingcompetitions like dumb charades,digital vista, techno quiz, bughunt, JAM, and ad-mad. The sec-ond session concluded with prizedistribution by the Principal,JNRM and vote of thanks by ShriC.Parthiban, Assistant Professor,Department of Computer Science.

TechnoVaganza 2012:Island IT Shining

BY STAFFREPORTER

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

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

Speaking on the occasion ShriS. S. Balakrishnan Nair,Adhyaksh, Zilla Parishad, SouthAndaman promised to take upvarious issues raised by the PRIswith the Administration. He fur-ther said that the Zila Parishadwould be taking up all unfinishedprojects and complete them in astipulated time. He urged themembers to identify sustainablecommunity development projectsthrough watershed managementprogrammes. He also cleared var-ious doubts and queries raised bythe members.

Shri M. P. Rajmohan, BDO &EO, Panchayat Samiti, Ferrargunjspoke in detail about the provi-sions contained in the Grant inAid to Panchayati Raj Institution(Amendment) Rule -2012. ShriAnjan Das, Joint Director,Directorate of Agriculture spokeabout the various schemes ofdevolved functions of theAgriculture department with thePRIs. Smti Irene Nicolas, CDPO,Ferrargunj enlightened the partic-ipants about schemes of SocialWelfare Dept. Shri T. K. Biswas,AFDO, Fisheries Dept., PanchayatSamiti, Ferrargunj informed theparticipants about schemes ofFisheries dept. Shri. C. J. Joseph,SCA, Panchayat Samiti,Ferrargunj spoke about soil andwater Conservation techniques.Shri Nagender, Programme offi-cer, SA District, NRHM, ShriChella Perumal, A. E. RCD,Wimberlygunj, Shri Rajan, JE,Panchayat Samiti, Ferrargunjexplained about AnnualMaintenance Contract of StreetLighting in Gram Panchayats.Shri Manohar Singh, Ex-SE Elect,Chairman, Elect, CGRF, A & NIslands, explained about the func-tions of Electricity- ConsumerGrievances Redressal Forum. ShriA. Sinha Roy, Executive Officer,KVIB, explained in detail aboutPMEGP Scheme, Shri AbdulRasheed, ARCS, Coop Dept.spoke on types of Coop societiesand schemes of Cooperativedepartment.

An Interactive session was alsoconducted wherein the PRI mem-bers interacted with the officialsof the line dept. and theAdhyaksh, Zila Parishad, S/Andaman. They came up withvaluable suggestion about imple-mentations of various schemesand grievances in day to day func-tioning of the PRIs. Shri AbdulAziz, Pradhan Stewartgunj GramPanchayat appreciated that sucha training programme was heldwherein the PRI's from the pan-chayat ward member to a ZillaParishad member attended andgot enlightened about variousschemes and provisions of variousdepartments.. Commenting onthe scheme of destitute women ofsocial welfare wherein a womanhas to give an affidavit of notremarrying in case of availing thescheme, he felt was discriminato-ry and robs a woman to lead a lifeof dignity. He was also critical ofcertain provisions contained inthe recently released notificationof PRI's which has stringent provi-sions for the elected representa-tives and very few for the engi-neers or officials concerned. Hewas critical of the schedule ofwork which is to be carried all theway to the EE PRI at Junglighatfor sanction or award of work andbilling whereas an AE is availableat the Panchayat Samiti level whocan very well do this work as is theprevalent practice prior to thisnotification. He was also disillu-sioned with imminent delays ingranting of NOC's for civil worksby the revenue authorities sever-ally affecting execution of devel-opmental works in the monsoonprone islands which has very fewdry months for carrying these out.Other Gram Pradhans ofFerrargunj tehsil area also agreedwith the above submission. ShriAP Jabir expressed his dissatisfac-tion over the Annual maintenancecontract of Street lights where thecontractor and engineer are givenmore authority than the electedrepresentative. Shri VM AbdulAziz, a social worker of Brindabanexpressed his dissatisfaction overthe manner in which the adminis-tration is conducting the Socio-

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

Officials from all line depart-ments enlightened the partici-pants about various schemes andprogrammes of the departments.The Programme was attended by300 participants including ZilaParishad members, PanchayatSamiti members, GramPradhans, Panchayat ward mem-bers and officials of variousdepartments under FerrargunjTehsil.

Shri Mohd. Safique, Pramukh,Panchayat Samiti, Ferrargunjproposing vote of thanks appreci-ated the efforts of BlockDevelopment Officer andDirectorate of (RD, PRIs & ULB),for organizing a capacity buildingtraining cum workshop whichgreatly benefited the PRIs ofFerrargunj tehsil area. ShriShahid Meshack, PO, MGNRE-GA, Ferrargunj, coordinated theProgramme.

Capacity Building Workshopfor PRIs at Ferrargunj

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8 |back|PAGE THE LIGHT OF ANDAMANS, Port Blair 17 FEBRUARY 2012

Before quitting smokingmore than two and halfdecades back I was a

chain-smoker, one of myfriend brought me a gift of'musical cigarette lighter' as amark of memento fromSingapore. It would delivercouple of melodious musicaltunes when lightened. I start-ed smoking extra as to lightthe lighter more and more tobe a point of attractionamidst crowd.

One day I was sitting witha few friends in AnnapurnaCafeteria. Those days ciga-rette smoking was neitherinjurious to health nor it wasa banned item in publicplace. After placing order forcups of tea I lighted a ciga-rette naturally alarming thepresence in the restaurant.Enjoying the curiosity ofother customers I pushed thecigarette, not even half done,into the ash-tray and lightedanother one. Before the lastsip of tea I lighted the thirdone, obviously to attract themtowards my exclusive posses-sion.

A well dressed manapproached my table. I couldsee a costly pack of cigarettepeeping out of his shirt'spocket. He came to me andpolitely demanded, "Hellobrother can I just borrowyour match box please?"Posing as if I was too busy dis-cussing something like thirdworld war, I simply raised myhand with the lighter in it. Hetotally ignored me andrepeated his sentence askingme if I had a match box.Disturbed by his approach Ialmost roared in husky voice,"Which Samaritan has cau-tioned you not to light a ciga-rette with a lighter?"

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

I left posing the prized pos-session.

— Musafir

Lighter Vs Match-Boxchalte | CHALTE

back | BITE

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

times the MEMORY.

the light of andamans

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