THE SINKING ISLAND

By Kiran

Lakshadweep consists a group of 36 islands of which only 10 are inhibited. It has an area of 32 sq km and it is one of the union territories of India. It is situated 400km west of Kerala coastline and a significant link to the mainland through Kochi. The place is well-known for the peaceful and calm atmosphere . About 97% of the people living there are Muslims and the most common spoken language is Malayalam. Fishing is the major occupation of the natives and hence fish meat play a vital role in the source of food available on the island.

The ten islands are divided into ten panchayats from which people are elected to the district council, of which an MP will also be a member. The administrator appointed by the central government is the most powerful authority on the island. The Administrator together with the district council makes crucial decisions. The Judiciary of the place is Kerala high court.

In 2020, COVID cases began rising in India, cases were reported throughout the country. Even then the number of cases in Lakshadweep was zero. A survey conducted in 2012 claims that the islands were about 65,000 inhabitants. The population being even so the islands had zero cases till December 2020. The secret behind this huge success was the strict following of COVID protocols.

On December 4, Lakshadweep Administrator Dinesh Sharma dies of heart related problems at the age of 66 and Praful Patel a BJP leader and ex-Home Minister of Gujarat gets appointed as the new Administrator. This appointment itself sparked some controversies. Normally IPS or IAS officers were considered for the post of Administrator. Dinesh Sharma was himself an IPS officer. A series of controversial orders issued by the new administrator Praful Patel has sparked widespread criticism.

Just weeks after the appointment Praful Patel moderated the strict COVID protocols in effect as a result of which COVID cases increased to around 5000 by April. The limited medical infrastructure exists on the island could not cope up with such a crisis which gradually leads to a very pathetic condition. Critical cases are dealt by transferring the patients to hospitals in Kerala.

According to 2011 Costal Regulatory Act, any type of construction is required to be at a minimum distance of 50m away from the coastline which was gradually reduced to 20m. However,there are many temporary structures that were erected close to the coastline by local fishermen to safeguard their fishing gears. These were demolished under Praful Patel as a violation of the Costal Regulatory Act. This had a very devastating effect on the lives of local fishing people.

A draft law called Prevention of Anti-Social activities has faced massive opposition from the public. In a place like Lakshadweep where crime rate is minimum implementation of such an act stands no meaning. The public view on the subject is that it is introduced to crush any type of revelation against the government.

Furthermore, ‘The Lakshadweep Animal Preservation Regulation, 2021’ a draft regulation that penalises selling or buying beef products has come under heavy criticism given that 64.8% of the population consume beef. It has caused a lot of uproar with opposition parties alleging that the BJP’s communal politics is behind the administrator’s decision.

As mentioned in the beginning, over 96 per cent of the inhabitants in Lakshadweep are Muslims and in accordance with the religious and cultural beliefs of the community, the consumption of alcohol was banned in the islands, but now certain moves are being made by the government to lift the restriction on use of alcohol.

In Lakshadweep where number of vehicles are very rare, the government is planning to increase the width of the roads as a part of tourism development, which will drastically affect the lives of many people whose relocation will be mandatory for such a development to be put into action. The draft notification for the creation of the Lakshadweep Development Authority, which makes provision "for acquisition and development of land for planning", is widely opposed by the islanders, 94.% of whom are Scheduled Tribes, given that 97% of the Union Territory's land is under forest cover.

As you know these are times of heavy workload for people related to medical field especially doctors and nurses. The nurses working in Lakshadweep were already were at a very poor salary. Many had recently protested for higher wages and the reaction from the official’s side was a threat. The authorities stated that if they continued with their protest they would be arrested and were prisoned. Also temporary workers of many government offices were removed from service.

Regulations that have been introduced by Praful Patel are perceived to be a threat to the cultural identity of the inhabitants and the sensitive ecology of the region.