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Crossing The Line

Opening up 29 islands in the Andaman and Nicobar archipelago to tourism will not only put at risk its tribals and delicate ecological balance but also the tourists.

Andaman and Nicobar Islands, tourist destinations, Restricted Area Permit (RAP), Foreigners (Restricted Areas) Order 1963, Little Andaman, Strait Island, North Sentinel, Interview and Narcondam Islands, Curfew Island, Great Nicobar , indian express, indian express news Into the unknown: Tourists on Radhanagar Beach, Havelock Island.

In an ostensible move to increase the popularity of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands as a tourist destination, the government of India recently relaxed the Restricted Area Permit (RAP), notified under the Foreigners (Restricted Areas) Order, 1963, till December 31, 2022, for some foreign nationalities for day visits to 29 of its inhabited islands (see box). The move has drawn considerable flak for the impact this could have on the ecology and the tribal populations in the islands that are both remote and vulnerable. The relaxations apply to a number of islands in the Nicobar and to others such as Little Andaman, Strait Island and North Sentinel in the Andaman group — home to indigenous communities. Most of these islands have been out of reach even for Indian nationals (except under special conditions) and serious questions have been raised about the current move.

North Sentinel, for instance, is home to the North Sentinelese who have a reputation for being hostile to outsiders. Even officials don’t visit and almost nothing is known of their current population or even the conditions on the island. Not only would it be dangerous for any tourist to visit, it belies basic common sense to even have North Sentinel on that list. Foreigners aware of the complex issue of tribal rights on these islands are themselves aghast at the relaxation and are questioning the wisdom and the motives. While the move in the case of North Sentinel would be dangerous, for the rest it would be counterproductive at worst and meaningless at best.

Andaman and Nicobar Islands, tourist destinations, Restricted Area Permit (RAP), Foreigners (Restricted Areas) Order 1963, Little Andaman, Strait Island, North Sentinel, Interview and Narcondam Islands, Curfew Island, Great Nicobar , indian express, indian express news An aerial view of an island in the Andamans.

Access to many of these islands is difficult, physical infrastructure continues to be weak and even mobile connectivity is poor. The claims that this move will promote tourism in the islands betrays a lack of understanding of the reality of the place. This is most evident in the list of 29 islands where the RAP has been relaxed. There is no explanation of the rationale or the process by which these 29 inhabited islands were chosen from more than 500 islands that make up the archipelago (day visits to 11 uninhabited islands have also been relaxed for foreigners). The obvious assumption is because the islands are listed as inhabited they have both the infrastructure and the tourism potential to make such a move work. The reasoning is flawed in the case of North Sentinel and deeply problematic in the case of many of the islands in the Nicobar as well, because these are inhabited by Nicobari communities and all these areas are tribal reserves. For instance, the only settlement Interview and Narcondam Islands (both in the Andaman group of islands) have as listed in the Census of India 2011 are police outposts, with populations of 16 and 17 individuals, respectively. There is no regular transport to these islands and no infrastructure for anyone who visits. Interview is also home to a population of feral elephants and visiting the island is never a risk-free enterprise. It was declared a wildlife sanctuary in 1985 to protect the pachyderm population.

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Islands that can work much better as a tourism destination have, in fact, not been included. There has been no application of mind or real understanding of the local situation and the move can have serious implications not only for the tribal communities and fragile ecology here, but for the very idea of the islands as a desirable tourism destination. No damage has been done yet but it may not be too long before we hear of it.

Andaman and Nicobar Islands, tourist destinations, Restricted Area Permit (RAP), Foreigners (Restricted Areas) Order 1963, Little Andaman, Strait Island, North Sentinel, Interview and Narcondam Islands, Curfew Island, Great Nicobar , indian express, indian express news Tourists visit the Mahatma Gandhi National Park in Wandoor on the Andaman Islands.

Pankaj Sekhsaria is a senior project scientist, DST-Centre for Policy Research, IIT-Delhi, and member, Kalpavriksh Environmental Action Group.

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List of Islands removed from RAP
1. East Island
2. North Andaman Island
3. Smith Island
4. Curfew Island
5. Stewart Island
6. Landfall Island
7. Aves Island
8. Middle Andaman
9. Long Island
10. Strait Island
11. North Passage
12. Baratang
13. South Andaman
14. Havelock
15. Neil Island
16. Flat Bay
17. North Sentinel Island
18. Little Andaman
19. Chowra
20. Tillang Chong Island
21. Teressa
22. Katchal
23. Nancowry
24. Kamorta
25. Pulomilo
26. Great Nicobar
27. Little Nicobar
28. Narcondam Island
29. Interview Island

First uploaded on: 28-10-2018 at 06:00 IST
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