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Title
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INDIGENOUS PEOPLE OF THE ANDAMAN AND NICOBAR ISLANDS
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extracted text
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RF_IH_20_SUDHA
adivasi
been given the lands and resources of the
Chronology of Little Andaman
Onge, have not treated them any better.
1901
Population of the Onge 672
They exploit and look down upon the
1911
Population of the Onge 631
tribal people. Alcohol was introduced and
1921
Population of the Onge 346
many Onges have become addicts. This
1931
Population of the Onge 250
addiction is now exploited - the Onge
1951
Population of the Onge 150
exchange valuable resources such as
I Italian Anthropologist visits Little Andaman to study the Onge tribe.
1957
Declaration of the island of Little Andaman as a Tribal reserve
honey, turtle eggs, wild boar meat and
1961
Population of the Onge 129
ambergris for liquor.
1963
Forest dept. (FD)declares Little Andaman a Reserve Forest
Logging operations have also helped
1965
Report by the ‘The Inter departmental Team on Accelerated
open up the forests, encouraging further
Development Programme for the Andaman and Nicobar islands,’ Ministry of
encroachments into the tribal reserve.
Rehabilitation. Govt, of India
1970
Timber extraction begins in Little Andaman
Consequently, illegal activities such as
1971
Population of the Onge 112
poaching have become rampant - result
1972
1st amendment to the Tribal Reserve
ing in a drastic decline of rare creatures
FD assessment of the timber productivity of the forests of the island
like the monitor lizard, the dugong and the
1975
FD initiates work on the oil palm plantation
endemic Andaman wild pig. All these
1976
Creation of the Andaman Adim Janjati Vikas Samiti (AAJVS)
Presentation of the Andaman and Nicobar Forest Plantation
creatures are important sources of food
and Development Corporation (ANFPDC) proposal for Logging and Forestry
and nutrition for the Onge. They also play
operations in Little Andaman
an integral role in the Onge culture and
1977
ANFPDC starts functioning
society. Their unavailability leaves gaps
1977
2nd denotification of the Tribal Reserve on Little Andaman
that cannot be filled.
1977-79 More settler families settled in Little Andaman
1981
Population of the Onge
100
This sense of loss and destruction is
Study
of
the
Onge
by
Vishvajit
Pandya, an Anthropologist
being felt acutely by the Onge themselves.
1988
Formulation of the National Forest Policy, which makes a special case for the
They have even articulated this is in offi
protection of the rainforests of the Andaman and Nicobar islands
cial forums when given the opportunity.
1989
INTACH investigation into the effects of Siltation, Logging, Blasting, other
At a meeting of the District Planning
Human Derived Damages to Corals in the Andaman and Nicobar islands
Master plan for the tribes of the Islands by S.A. Awaradi
Committee held in Port Blair in
Final Amendment to the Tribal reserve
November 1998, the Onge representative,
1991
Population of the Onge
101
Tambolai. complained that settlers living
1995
Patenting controversy related to Onge knowledge
in the areas near their settlement were
Supreme Court order on forests Writ petition filed in the Calcutta High Court
troubling them. The point he made was
2001
Supreme Court stops the cutting of naturally grown trees from the
forests of the Islands by S.A. Awaradi Final Amendment to the Tribal reserve
that finding wild pigs in the forests was
becoming difficult, and hence the timber
extraction operations should be stopped.
No heed has ever been paid to the real operations in Little Andaman, and the guards provided for by the Supreme
needs of the Onge.
Onges had been badly affected. Various Court. The respondent Corporation as
relief measures were asked for, the most well as the Administration authorities
Judicial intervention
prominent being that all timber extraction have disputed this fact. They have also
The matters of the violation of the trib in Little Andaman should be stopped.
submitted that the entire issue regarding
al reserve in Little Andaman and the
The respondents in the matter included deforestation in all the states of the coun
rights of the Onge tribal community, were the Union Territory of the Islands through try including Andaman and Nicobar
brought to the notice of the Calcutta High the Lt. Governor, the ANFPDC, the Islands was pending before the Supreme
Court, Circuit Bench at Port Blair in the Andaman and Nicobar Forest Department Court. It is further stated that the
Writ Petition No. 76 of 1999, and the Union of India through Secretary, Administration of the Andaman and
Kalpavriksh, Society for Andaman and Dept, of Forests and Environment, New Nicobar Islands was participating in the
Nicobar Ecology (SANE), a Port Blair Delhi. They disputed the facts that were proceedings and had filed their affidavits
based Non Governmental Organization presented by the petitioners and in before the Supreme Court. It is stated by
(NGO) and the Bombay Natural History response Justice Ruma Pal and Justice the respondent Corporation that the oper
Society (BNHS) v. Union Territory of Pinaki Ghose issued an order dated ation of the order dated December 12,
Andaman and Nicobar Islands and August
31,
1999
which
read,
1996 had been subsequently modified by
Others. The petitioners pointed out that
‘...According to the petitioner... the the Supreme Court order oh January 15,
there had been severe violations in more respondents had resorted to large scale
1998“.
than two decades of timber extraction deforestation without any of the safeIn our view that since the matter is pend57 combat law ■ April > May 2002
adivasi
The Colonization of
Little Andaman Island
Various schemes were proposed under the
broad categories of strategy, agriculture,
animal husbandry, forest, industry,
fishery, water, transport, health,
colonization and manpower.
The island of Little Andaman was spe
Its impact on the Onge tribal community
cially earmarked for a Rehabilitation and
Resettlement (R and R) programme, con
recent order of the Supreme forests and the oceans here (see box titled sidering many had favourable factors like
Court has marked an
‘A Precious Heritage').
the fact that it was an island, its few inhab
important watershed in the
A powerful two-pronged attack - on the itants (only the Onge), and good natural
history of the Andaman natural resource base that sustains the and forest resources, particularly timber.
w^and Nicobar islands. For Onge and on the culture of the The committee suggested drastic steps for
the first time ever, since the British set up community - has over the past three the development of the Island. The sug
their colony here in 1858. timber_extrac- decades slowly but surely pushed the gestions made for Little Andaman
tion operations have been stopped and the Onges to a point of no return. Though the included felling half of the island's
priceless rainforests have been given a history of the settlements, and the timber forests; preparing a settlement of 12.000
crucial breather.
extraction operation in the Andaman settler families on the cleared land; cre
The Andaman and Nicobar islands are Islands in general, is more than a century ation of plantations of coconut, arcca. and
well known for being home to some of the old. Little Andaman remained completely palm oil; and the use of the felled limber
finest rainforests, mangroves and coral
untouched till very recently.
tor wood-based industries like saw mills
reefs found anywhere in the world. The
The story of the Onge people's alien and ply wood factories.
forests here are home to a large number of ation began in the late 1960s. when the
Had the plan been implemented fully, it
endangered species of flora and
Government of India planned a would have destroyed Little Andaman and
fauna, and have rightfully been
massive development and colo caused the extinction of the Onge tribe.
recognized as one of the
nization programme for the Fortunately, logistical problems, lack of
global biodiversity hotspots.
union territory of the Andaman infrastructure and a revision of policies
Importantly they are also home
and Nicobar islands, in complete over time, ensured that the destruction
to six aboriginal tribal communi
disregard of the fragile environ was not complete. However, in the very
ties that have lived here for thou
ment of the Islands and the rights conception and planning of the develop
sands of years. These include the
of the tribal communities. Till ment programme, the Onges were sideNicobarese and the* Shompen
this time the complete island of lined and the violations had begun.
Pankaj
who are of Mongloid origin and
Little Andaman had belonged
Sekhsaria
The government team that suggested the
inhabit the Nicobar group of
only to the Onge. As a part of the development programme ignored the
islands. The other four are the Sentinelese,
massive development programme, thou- Andaman and Nicobar Protection of
rht^ Jarawa. the^Onge and th^6 Great sands of mainland Indians, refugee fami Aboriginal Tribes Regulation (ANPATR).
.ndamanese who live in the Andaman lies^ from erstwhile East Pakistan (now which had accorded the status of a tribal
Islands and are of Negrito origin.
Bangladesh) and Tamils from Sri Lanka reserve' to the entire island of Little
were settled here.
Andaman in 1957. Further, about 20.000
The story of the Onge
An T nter Departmental Team on hectares (ha) (roughly 30%) of the island
The Onges form a small community of Accelerated Development Programme for were denotified from its tribal reserve sta
around a hundred individuals, and the 732 Andaman and Nicobar.' set up by the tus in two stages - in 1972 and 1977 sq km of the thickly forested island of Ministry of Rehabilitation. Government leaving 52.000 ha as an inviolable tribal
Little Andaman is their only home. The of India, submitted its report in 1965. The reserve.
community, which has flourished in the plans, and more importantly, the thinking
island for centuries, is today poised on the and the attitudes of the time were clearly Indiscriminate logging
brink of extinction. Though not much is evident in the report - popularly referred
In 1976, the Andaman and Nicobar
known about them, there is clear proof to as ‘the Green Book.' It prescribed the Islands
Forest
Plantation
and
that they have an astonishing depth and route for the development of the Islands in Development Corporation (ANFPDC)
diversity of knowledge related to the general, and Little Andaman in particular. was formed, and it presented its ‘Project
The Onges are a community of around a hundred individuals, and the thickly forested island of Little
Andaman is their only home. The community... is today, poised on the brink of extinction.
54 combat law ■ April - May 2002
adivasi
I!
fl
I
L1J
gc
o
O
o
... MiManrMWriMM
Mangrove forests are an important breeding ground for the diverse marine life of the area.
Report for Logging and Marketing of tim Port Blair in the case FMAT No. 3353 of maintained that a Project Report (men
ber from the forests of Little Andaman.’ It
1995. Range Officer, Andaman and tioned above) had been prepared by them
was estimated that a total of 60,000 ha of Nicobar islands Forest Plantation and in 1976. and since it had been approved by
the island was available for logging, and Development Corporation and others v. the Central Government, there was no
that 60.000 cubic metres of timber could Sushi/ Dhali, a resident of Ramkrishnapur need to draft a Working Plan. A look at
be extracted annually from 800 ha. Of the of Hut Bay in the island of Little the Project Report makes it clear, howev
denotified area, 19,600 ha were handed Andaman. The matter was related to a er. that it is extremely sketchy, and mere
over to the ANFPDC, and timber extrac case of encroachment in the Reserve ly an excuse for the continued logging
tion began in 1977.
Forest area of Little Andaman by Sushil operations. In no way does it meet the
idea of logging from 60.000 ha of Dhali. In his order dated May 30, 1996. needs of a Working Plan. A comparison of
the forests of Little Andaman was another Justice B.P. Banerjee observed regarding this Project Report to any of the Working
clear violation of the Onge tribal reserve. the lease agreement between the FD and Plans for other parts of the Andaman
When 52.000 ha of the island's total area the ANFPDC. ‘...We are at a loss to Islands, makes this amply clear.
of 73,000 ha was already a tribal reserve, understand how under the law of contract Significantly, the Deputy Conservator of
how could 60.000 ha be made available or under any other law for the time being Forests - Working Plan (DCF-WP) of the
for logging? Statistics also show that the in force the government could grant lease Andaman
and
Nicobar
Forest
area logged and timber actually extracted in 1987 with retrospective effect from Department, was also working on the
was in excess to what had been permitted.
1977. The grant of lease with retrospec preparation of the Working Plan at the
Significantly, though the ANFPDC tive effect by the state authorities in same time that the Department was deny
started extracting timber from the forests favour of a Corporation is not permissible ing the need for one. In light of this fact it
of Little Andaman in 1977, a lease agree under the law...’ In spite of this observa seemed amply clear that the continued
ment was signed between the Corporation tion of the Court, the lease has continued timber extraction in Little Andaman, in
and the Forest Department only in 1987, to be operational till today
the absence of a Working Plan, was violafor a period of 30 years from 1977 to
The other important issue related to log- live of the Interim Order of the Supreme
2007. This matter of the lease was the sub ging in Little Andaman was the absence Court, dated December 12, 1996 in the
ject of a very pertinent observation of the of a Working Plan.*’ When this was point Writ Petition (Civil) No. 202 of 1995, TN.
Calcutta High Court, Circuit Bench at ed out in 1999. the FD and the ANFPDC Godavarman Thirumulkpad v. Union of
55 combat law ■ April - May 2002
Hfl
adivasi
India and Others, which said that, ‘the
felling of trees is to remain suspended in
accordance with the Working Plans of the
State Governments as approved by the
Central Government ... ’
Another very serious violation was
committed, by the ANFPDC. There was
clear evidence that it had logged timber
from within the boundary of the tribal
reserve, making a mockery of the law and
the rights of the Onges. Maps available
with the ANFPDC and the Forest
Department have logging coupes, dated
1990 onwards, marked clearly within the
tribal reserve.
Resttlement of outsiders
J •
Even as these violations occurred, thou
sands of outsiders were settled in Little
Andaman since the 1970s. The settler
population grew rapidly: from a few hun
dreds in the 1960s to 7,000 in 1984, and
over 12,000 in 1991. displacing Onges
from some of their most preferred
habitats. Hut Bay, the main town in the
Island, is an example. The ratio of the
number of outsiders, with respect to the
number of Onge in Little Andaman, has
changed drastically against the interests of
the Onge.
The Andaman Adim Janjati Vikas
Samiti (AAJVS). the official tribal wel
fare body of the administration, intro
duced welfare measures that were com
pletely unsuitable for the Onges.
Foodstuff such as rice, dal, oil and bis
cuits were introduced to a community <
whose traditional food included the meat X
of the wild boar and turtle, fish, tubers and
honey. The agency even offered each 3
adult 250 gm of tobacco as a ‘welfare' ?
measure. In a blatant attempt to move the £
forestry operations deeper into the forests |
of Little Andaman, authorities sought to 2
settle the nomadic Onges at Dugong
Creek in the North East of the island, and Jellyfish in the seas off Port Blair.
in South Bay at the southern tip. Wooden
houses on stilts, with asbestos roofing economy in the community, which did not
were constructed for them at these places. have even a barter system. Ill-conceived
These structures were not suited for the schemes, such as the raising of a coconut
hot and humid tropical environment of the plantation (in which the Onge were made
Islands. The Onge preferred to live in workers), cattle rearing (the community
their traditional huts in the forest nearby.
does not consume milk) and pig breeding,
Attempts were made to introduce a cash were introduced. All of them failed.
56 combat law ■ April - May 2002
A visit to the Onge settlement of
Dugong Creek has become mandatory on
the VIP itinerary. Not only are the Onge
expected to perform for the pleasure and
entertainment of the VIP, they are also put
to work to tidy up the settlement.
The settler communities, which have
TROUBLED
ISLANDS !
Writings on indigenous peoples and the
environment of
Andaman & Nicobar Islands, India
H
Pankaj Sekhsaria
Kalpavriksh
Apt 5, Sri Dutta Krupa,
mW
908 Deccan Gymkhana,
Pune - 411004, India
Teh/Pax: 020 5654239
Email: kvriksh@vsnl.com
i
April 2002
A Contributory amount Rs. 40/-, US $ 5
Proceeds will go into the research , legal and advocacy activities of Kalpavriksh in the Islands
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LIST OF ARTICLES
1)
Jarawa excursions.
2)
Embracing disease
3)
Delivering the Jarawas.
4)
A people in peril
5)
Deforestation in Andaman and Nicobar: Its impact on Onge.
6)
Logging off, for now.
7)
A history of alienation.
8)
The new millenium tamasha
9)
Turtle tales.
About this Compilation
Over the years there has been a reasonable amount of anthropological and
academic work on the hunter-gatherer communities of the Andaman & Nicobar
islands. At the same time, however, the threat to the survival of these small
communities has intensified as development policies that were completely
insensitive to their have been conceived, prepar ed and implemented here
Little, if any, research or publication in the mainstream Indian media has
been seen on this aspect of the islands in the last few decades.
Troubled Islands! is a compilation of articles since 1998 on precisely these
issues. It is perhaps the most comprehensive contemporary account of the situation
in the islands from a non anthropological point of view. The articles were first
published in leading Indian publications that include Frontline, The Hindu and
Economic and Political Weekly. They look at some of the key issues faced by the
indigenous peoples of the islands today and follow in detail some of the major
developments that have taken place over in the last few years.
2
I INDIGENOUS PEOPLE
Ml <;>
a.
•' //*
Jarawa excursions
Members of the dwindling Jarowa tribal community in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands are stepping
out of their forest habitats for the first time. What is in store for them?
PANKAJ SEKHSARIA
PANKAJ SEKHSARIA
T N October 1997, settlers in the Middle
1 Andaman island, one of many that
make up the Andaman and Nicobar
Islands in the Bay of Bengal, were wit
nesses to an unfamiliar sight: a group of
Jarawas, one of six aboriginal tribal com
munities that have lived on the archipel
ago for centuries, had ventured out of the
forest and into modern settlements. This
was the first recorded instance ofJarawas
voluntarily seeking to establish contact
with the settlers from mainland India. It
was particularly puzzling given the fact
that Jarawas have for long been hostile
towards the settlers, to whom they have
lost large swathes of their forests, and the
tribal people have fiercely defended what
is left of their traditional lands.
Over the next few months, there were
several more reports of Jarawas coming
out of their forests. Some of them, it was
reported, were seen to point to their bel
lies: these were interpreted as expressions
of hunger. In the belief that they had run
66
■
'I
*5®|
FRONTLINE, JULY 17, 1998
3
| out of their traditional food resources in
| the forests and were facing starvation, the
« local administration, led by Lieutenant-^23^ Governor I.P. Gupta, arranged for food
relief. Packets containing dry fish, puffed
rice and bananas were air-dropped from
helicopters into Jarawa territory.
fl
Q»y^.Cape Price
North
Andaman1
| Diglipur
Port
Andaman
INDIA
I
Bay of
Bengal
1 Middle
J Andaman
3
Jarawa
reserve
South
«J
■
'
■
Looking towards Port
Blair. Largo swathes
of forest in the
< b
»
Qi
Rutland
PZ <
0
o
■
Duncan Passage
A nd a man a n d N i.c o b ar
Islands have been
creared o.^r a period
I to house settlers from
J the mainland and to
■ feed the timber
«
E
I
1
9 industry. (Below)
I Some members of the
|
II
Jarawa community
who arrived by boat at
?
_ the Uttara jetty near
7, Kadamtala in Middle
Andaman on April 9
c I
5® Port Blair
Andaman Sea
< 07 7
“IS
Andaman
5
E
Ten Degree Channel
"
J
rr
<
77
w CA
g5
CO
o
CD
Great Nicobar
FRONTLINE, JULY 17, 1998
Port Blair!
The natural resources that Jarawas
have had access to have vastly diminished
over time for a number ofreasons, includ
ing widespread deforestation to accom
modate settlers and to feed the flourishing
timber industry. Even so, the theory that
starvation is driving Jarawas out of the
forests appears to be flawed. Jarawas have
sustained themselves on forest produce
for centuries, and there is no reason to
believe that they have suddenly been
pushed into starvation. In any case, eye
witnesses say that the Jarawas who were
sighted recently appear to be healthy,
robust and agile.
Moreover, in February and March,
no person from the tribal community
approached the settlements for extended
periods, that is, for more than two weeks.
And when they did show up, it was often
in small groups of five to 10 persons.
Anthropologists, however, have
another explanation for the Jarawas’ curi
ous “coming out”. It relates to the expe
rience of Enmey, a teenaged Jarawa boy,
who was found with a fractured foot near
Kadamtala town in Middle Andaman
last year. The local residents, most of
them settlers, arranged for his treatment
at the G.B. Pant Hospital in Port Blair,
where he was looked after well. When
Enmey recovered, he was sent back to
Middle Andaman, where he promptly
disappeared into his forest home. Since
October, it is Enmey who has largely
been responsible for bringing his people
out.
Anthropologists explain that Enmey
developed a cultural affinity to the out
side world: in their view, Enmey perhaps
wanted others in his community to expe
rience the settlers’ hospitality that he had
had a taste of. It is this, and not starva
tion, that had drawn the Jarawas out of
the forests, they reason.
MpHE forests of the picturesque
JL Andaman and Nicobar Islands are
home to six tribal communities. The
Andaman group of islands are inhabited
by four tribes ofNegrito origin: the Great
Andamanese, the Onge, the Jarawas and
the Sentinelese. The Nicobar group is
home to two tribes of Mongoloid origin:
the Nicobarese and the Shompens.
Precisely when and how members of
these tribes came to inhabit the islands is
not known.
What is known about them is that
their limited contacts with other peoples
have rendered them aggressive and hos
tile towards outsiders: they fiercely
defend themselves and their space. Many
67
4
S□
cn
3
I
w
iu
tt
b
members of the tribes were forcibly taken
as slaves by Arab seafarers who traded
along these routes.
The establishment of penal settle
ments - the infamous Cellular Jail - in
the islands by the British in 1858,
Japanese occupation during the Second
World War and independent India’s
colonisation and resettlement plan for the
islands had the effect of further isolating
the tribal communities.
The population of the islands, which
was about 24,500 in 1901, is nearly four
lakh today; however, the populations of
the tribal communities (except the
Nicobarese) have dwindled (see box).
Only the Sentinelcsc and the Jarawas have
been able to retain a semblance of their
identity. The Jarawas, however, are under
severe pressure. Today there are only 250
of them and vast expanses of their rain
forest homelands have been cleared to
accommodate settlers and to feed the
huge timber industry, on which the eco
nomic foundation of the Andamans is
laid.
68
(Above left) Watched by curious settlers, the Jarawas wait at the jetty; (above) a
Jarawa woman and her child have a brush with authority; (left) after receiving a
gift of coconuts and bananas, the Jarawas head back home.
In order to protect the Jarawa way
ray of demolished bridges and even attacked life, a Jarawa tribal reserve was established and occasionally killed - the workers,
over a 700-sq-km area: the objective was Work came to a halt in 1976, but was
as much to keep the tribal population resumed soon. Traffic on the road, which
confined to the reserve as to prevent set was completed recently, has grown enor
tlers from encroaching into it. Along the mously.
Today, many more settlers live in the
periphery of the reserve, 44 bush police
camps with about 400 policemen were areas bordering the reserve, thereby
established. Over time, however, several increasing manifold the possibility of
encroachments were made and the func- interaction-and conflict—between them
tion of the police force has been reduced and the Jarawas. Instances of people tresto confining the Jarawas, who once passing into the reserve to hunt wild boar
roamed the length and breadth of the and deer, and to poach forest produce
island unhindered, to the reserve area.
such as honey and timber, are common.
The 340-km-long Andaman Trunk At times, the trespassers destroy the
Road, which slices through the heart of rudimentary settlements of the Jarawas.
the Jarawa reserve, has opened up more In addition, many illegal encroachments
areas for settlement. Right from the have come up in the reserve area with
begining, the Jarawas had protested political patronage.
against the construction of the road on
VER the years, the island administhe ground that it would endanger their
way of life. They set up road blocks, VV tration has tried to establish friend69
The lost races
PANKAJ SEKHSARIA
the six aboriginal tribal communities that originally inhabited the
Andaman and Nicobar Islands, at least
two - the Great Andamanese and the
Onge - fell victim to the march of civil
isation and everything that came with
it.
The Great Andamanese, who had
lived in an insular world for centuries,
were the first tribal community with
whom the British established contact.
The Onge, who lived on the Little
Andaman, were the next. Both com
munities suffered the ill-effects of this
influence. Epidemics of diseases such as
pneumonia (which broke out in 1868),
measles (1877), influenza (1896) and
syphilis killed hundreds of Great
Andamanese. The tribal people had no
resistance to these diseases, which they
contracted from outsiders.
The Great Andamanese are today
virtually extinct. In the early part of the
19th century, tlieir population was estimated to be around 5,000; today, there
are only 28 of them.
The Onge have fared only marginally better. Their population has dwin-
ly contact with the tribal communities
(Frontline, August 17-30,1991), includ
ing the Jarawas. In 1974, a contact party
comprising administration officials,
members of the Andaman Adim Janjati
Vikas Samiti (AAJVS), anthropologists
Population trends (in the Andaman & Nicobar Islands)
Year
WOT
1911
1921
1931
1951
1961
1971
1981
1991
1998
Total population
~ 24,499
26,459 ___
27,080 ______
29^476
30,971
63,548
2,15 J 33
1,88,745
2,80,661
4,00,000 (estimated)
625
455
209
90_
23___
"19
19
25
28
Onge
^672
631
346
250
250
129
112
JOO
101
I
Note: Population data in respect of the Jarawas and the Sentinelese are
unavailable because members of these tribal groups have in the past
resisted any attempts to establish contact with them.
I
died from 600 in 1901 to about 100 the Onge people by the settlers, has
today. Since the 1960s the Onge home-- extracted a heavy toll. Settlers use alcoland in Little Andaman was cleared of hoi, to. which many among the Onge
its verdant forests to house thousands of people have become addicted, to exploit
setders from mainland India. A large- them. The Onge give away resources
scale timber extraction operation was such, as honey, ambergris, and turtle
also started. Attempts are on even today eggsfor the ubiquitous bottle, popularto confine the Onge people to two small ly known as 180.
Thus two hardy races, which flour
settlements so that the rest of the island,
ished for centuries in these islands, have
which is still a tribal reserve, can be
been swept aside by the tides of “civiliopened up further.
Alcohol, which
to sation”. Hi
. LLL was
. ... introduced
----
and police officials, established friendly
contact with some members ofthe Jarawa
community along the western coast of
Middle Andaman. The party approached
the Jarawa territory by sea and left behind
gifts - bananas and coconuts - hoping to
Enmey (standing), the Jarawa teenager who is believed to have played a major
role in bringing people of his community out of the forest to meet the settlers.
70
Andamanese
|
win the confidence of the tribal people,
Critics, however, liken this to the
practice ofscattering rice to ensnare birds.
They argue that the official policy vis-avis the tribal people is aimed at making
them dependent on the administration.
3 The pattern of the Jarawas’ recent behav< iour appear to bear this out: increasingly,
| the Jarawas who emerge from their jun
gles do not leave unless they are gifted
3 bananas and coconuts.
5Q.
The Jarawas have never allowed any
one access to their territory by the land
route; nor, until October 1997, had they
ever emerged voluntarily and unarmed
from their forest homes or initiated any
interaction with the outside world. Last
year’s development is therefore very sig
nificant, but the administration has not
always responded with sensitivity to the
Jarawas’ needs. An incident which this
writer witnessed on April 9 illustrates this
point.
i
I
I
A-
fa
1
A t 8 a.m. that day, 63 Jarawas, the
jiXlargest group yet to emerge from the
jungle, arrived at the Uttara jetty near
FRONTLINE, JULY 17, 1998
0
*
7
Kadamtala. Among them were several |
children and women with babies. It is, of 5
course, true that the administration has «
no way of knowing where and when the |
next group ofJarawas will turn up or just 2
how many ofthem will be there; but even
so, there appeared to be little evidence of
planning for such contingencies.
Until such time as coconuts and
bananas could be arranged for the
LI3”'
Jarawas, they were herded into a small
waiting hall at the jetty and made to wait
on that hot, sweltering day without food
or water. The only people at the jetty who
seemed equipped to handle the situation
were a policemen and three boatmen who
knew some ofthe J arawa people. But after
a while, when the Jarawas grew restive,
even the boatmen ran out ofideas. Things
got a bit rough, and there was a fair bit of
shoving and pushing around, which the
fiercely independent Jarawas resented.
The consignment of coconuts and At Jlrkatang, the entry point to the Jarawa tribal reserve. All vehicles that enter
bananas that the local police had organ- the reserve are provided with armed guards from this point onwards. (Below)
ised arrived around 2 p.m. Each person Modern settlements on the edge of the Jarawa reserve. The Andaman Trunk Road,
in the Jarawa group was given two which cuts through the reserve, has opened up more areas for settlement.
-coconuts and a bunch of bananas; the
. .«K.- >: :
entire group was then put on boats and, <
escorted by armed policemen, taken back *
*.
into Jarawa territory.
g
. ......... .
...................
At the other end, however, more |
trouble was in store. Just as one of the “■
boatmen was about to return, some of the
Jarawa youth, who were evidently
incensed by the way they had been treat
ed that afternoon, seized the boatman’s
bamboo pole as he was pushing his boat
into the river and tried to haul him ashore.
U. 4
■
The shaken boatman said later that
•I « : |
.•
■
evening: “I have interacted with the
Jarawa people for 12 years, but for the
first time in my life I was afraid. I did not
know what they would do to me.”
However, some of the older women
of the tribe, who had known the boatman
• i j /_
7 ■ ■ ■" •
■. ■ ■ • •
W
for long, admonished the youth and
forced them to let him go.
Had any bodily harm been done to
the boatman, the consequences would
have been unpredictable: the settlers, sion can be eased if the setdements of the land. Since the political system goes with
already restive over the constant “intru- outsiders are removed from in and around the number, no political party is in a posi
sion” by Jarawas, might well have retali- the Jarawa territory. But this requires tion to contradict their demands.”
The numbers, clearly, are working
ated violently.
tremendous political will and understandagainst the Jarawas. After all, 250 indi
Administration officials admit in pri- ing, which is absent,
vate that they are unable to do anything to
If anything, the weight of political viduals do not count for much in the
ease the tension between the tribal com support is on the side of the setders, as is political system. For the Jarawas, howev
munities and the setders. The two groups evident from a statement made in the Lok er, this battle is not about political power;
are locked in a tussle over land rights, and Sabha in 1990 by the Congress(I) mem- for them it is literally a struggle for sur
the atmosphere has been vitiated by some ber of Parliament from the islands, vival and against extinction. And if their
administrative policies of the past. The Manoranjan Bhakta. He said: “... Job- land rights and other needs are not
Jarawas, as the original inhabitants, have seekers (settlers) who have come (to) the respected, they might very sodn go down
the first right over this land, but not many island are now serious contenders for as another ofthe lost races ofhumankind.
allotment of
ofhouse
house sites
sites and
and agricultural
agricultural
people are willing to concede this. The ten- allotment
r------
*•
-
«
•
«.
«
•
jli
.1 ...IAt.
________ ___
I
K
||0
■’t,
•<
■
1
:
J
.
1
I p t
FRONTLINE, JULY 17, 1998
71
EMBRACING DISEASE
In October 1997, a new chapter began in the history of the is the Andaman Trunk Road (ATR) that connects Port Blair
remote and ancient tribe - the Jarawa of the Andaman islands, to the north of the islands. The ATR cuts through the heart of
From being a hostile, uncontactable community, they took their Jarawa territoiy and has been the single most significant
first step out of their remote forest home- to interact with the factor in bringing in more outsiders closer to the forest home
‘settlers’, the people from mainland India who have settled of the Jarawas and the Jarawas themselves. It has encouraged
along the forests that are their home.
encroachments into and exploitation of resources from inside
In August earlier this year, less than two years since the Jarawa reserve. From the veiy beginning environmental
they first stepped out, the worst had begun with the death of a groups had been opposing the ATR, but their opinion was
young woman of the community that is presently afflicted with always ignored. “Closing the ATR and putting an end to the
a severe epidemic of measles and other infections. The first indiscriminate interaction between the Jarawas and the
death was reported on 16th August, with the death due to acute settlers would appear to be the only way to save this ancient
broncho-pneumonial congestion of an young Jarawa women tribe”, says Acharya. According to him the Directorate of
nick-named Madhuri by the Andaman Adim Janjati Vikas Shipping has the resources (boats and manpower) to put in
Samiti (AAJVS). It however took more than a month for the use as an alternate route between Port Blair and Middle and
news to come out when around 30 Jarawas were admitted to North Andaman islands. They have the wherewithal to taking
the GB Pant Hospital on the 21st September. At the time of care of the entire load of passenger and cargo traffic that uses
going to press, 59 Jarawas of the estimated population of 300 the ATR by the sea route. This option needs to be urgently
were in hospital suffering from measles, post measles broncho- looked into and all support that may be needed to make it
pneumonia infections and conjunctivitis. There also is the operational should be immediately provided.
possibility that pockets of infection remain deep in the forest
Also significant in the context is a writ petition filed
and more of the tribe members may get infected. “It could well recently by a local lawyer (though before the outbreak of the
be the beginning of the end”, says Samir Acharya of the epidemic) asking for the rehabilitation of the Jarawa. This
Society for Andaman and Nicobar Ecology (SANE), the 1st suggestion has been opposed by various Indian groups
bring die episode to light
including SANE and Kalpavriksh. Reputed anthropologists
What is very worrying is that the history of the from around the world whose expert testimonies were
Andaman & Nicobar Islands is replete with the decimation of compiled by the London based Survival International and
such tribal communities by diseases that they contracted after recently placed before the court in Port Blair via an
contact with the outside world. The most chilling example is intervention that was filed by SANE, too have argued that
that of the Great Andamanese. Hundreds of them died in the Jarawas should be allowed to lead their traditional lives
epidemics of pneumonia in 1868, measles in 1877 and in the forests and any attempts to resettle / rehabilitate would
influenza in 1896. Combined with other factors like massacre only lead to disaster. Discussing the health related
by the colonial powers and the shrinkage of their forest habitat implications. Dr. James Woodbum of the Dept of
because of deforestation and settlements, they were reduced Anthropology in the London School of Economics and
from a population of around 5000 in the earlier part of the 19th Political Science points out that when a isolated community
century to less than 30 today. A similar devastating outbreak of with low population density (like the Jarawa) comes into
measles has also been reported amongst tribal communities contact with one of high density (like the settlers), the
from around the world, the better known being that of the isolated group will become in and many may die. Some of
Nambikuara tribe from Brazil. Following an epidemic in 1945 the diseases, measles for example are density dependant, and
the 10,000 strong community was reduced to less than 600 do not take root in a population with low density. When an
individuals.
isolated community comes into contact with outsiders.
The outbreak of the disease is an outcome of the because they have not acquired immunity in childhood, they
policies and attempts of the administration to establish friendly are likely to struck down by one illness after another. First
contact with this hostile community, that had always shunned they will be weakened, and if the next illness strikes during
any interaction with the outside world There still are opinions this period, people will die. “It is not unusual” he warns, “for
that the Jarawas should be assimilated into the modem world, 50% or even more of the population to die in the first months
but it is clear, that it is exactly this contact with the outside or years of extensive contact”
world that is rapidly pushing them towards annihilation.
Whats happening with the Jarawas today is proving to be
Also the most pressing question is what should be exactly what had been predicted and unless some of the steps
done now? The present medical treatment is only going to work at correcting the situation are not taken urgently we could
in the immediate short term, and more concrete, sustainable well be witnessing the pushing of another race of humankind
steps are urgently needed if further outbreaks of even worse into history.
diseases like TB or Hepatitis are to be avoided. One of the
biggest vectors of outside intervention into the Jarawa territory Unpublished. September 30. 1999
Qn/nn/iann
i INDIGENOUS PEOPLE
2
Delivering the Jarawas
CD
3
I
w
UJ
For the Jarawa tribal population of the Andaman islands, a court order
“fe’brings hope of protection from the "civilised" world.
X2
j. i
O
/Ax
.AAA-/A'A.
;;
lllo
'.
■
'
H
-A:-
' 1
FL
I
.
•
■
■■
T:
\
'
1.74
A Jarawa tribal person and others on the Andaman Trunk Road in the Middle Andamans.
PANKAJ SEKHSARIA
A^OURT cases involve complex
v_yprocesses, which sometimes take tra
jectories of their own and reach destinationsnotquiteintendedatthetimeoftheir
initiation. In one such instance, an order
that the Port Blair Circuit Bench of the
Calcutta High Court issued recendy has
turned out to be to the benefit ofthe indigenous Jarawa community of the Andaman
islands.
The case had its origins in an intrigu
ing development that was noticed in
October 1997 - a drastic change in the
lifestyle and attitudes ofthe forest-dwelling
Jarawas who were previously extremely
hostile to outsiders. For reasons that are not
yet clear, the Jarawas voluntarily broke
their circle of isolation and hostility and
came out from their forest home to have
peaceful interactions with the settler communities that live on the forest’s edge
{Frontline, July 17, 1998).
Almost overnight, the until then feared
and mysterious Jarawa became a subject of
FRONTLINE, AUGUST 31, 2001
intense curiosity. People travelled to the
margins of the forest to catch a glimpse of
the Jarawa, and a small industry was created out of this. The impression gained
ground that there was not enough food in
the forests to support the community,
Consignments of bananas, coconuts and
papayas were sent in regularly and even airdropped into the forests.
The end of the hostility of the Jarawa
also i saw the increased exploitation of
resources from the Jarawa forest reserve,
Sand mining from the beaches on the western coast of the islands and poaching and
removal of non timber forest produce
(NTFP) from the forest habitats increased
drastically.
All this while a few anthropologists,
tribal rights activists and environmentalists
kept arguing that outsiders had to be
stopped from contacting the Jarawas, that
providing them food was not the solution
and that the violation and exploitation of
their forest habitats had to be stopped.
It was in this context that Shyamali
Ganguly, a local lawyer, filed a writ petition before the Circuit Bench in May 1999.
The petition, a classic example of a move
undertaken with the right intentions but
seeking the wrong solutions, asked for the
administration’s help to bring the Jarawas
into the mainstream and improve their
lives. The examples of the Great
Andamanese and the Onge (two other
Andamanese tribal communities) were
held out to explain how this could be done.
But surprisingly, the petitioner failed to
notice that both these communities are on
the verge of being wiped out, primarily
because of attempts to ‘civilise’ and take
them into the mainstream, made first by
the British and then by the governments of
independent India. The petition also asked
that the Jarawas be relocated in another
area, which would then be all theirs,
At this juncture the Port Blair-based
Society for Andaman and Nicobar Ecology
(SANE)
(?
* ? ’T intervened. A vocal advocate of
environmental protection in the islands,
SANE has played a crucial role in fighting
for tribal rights. “What was asked for in the
petition would have meant certain death
for the Jarawas,” says Samir Acharya of
SANE. SANE largely disagreed with the
65
w
^^'3- - ?
E
from the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) in
South Asia, and of Amazonian tribes in
Latin America.
-- ------Dr. Marcus Colchester of the Oxford
based Forest People’s Programme argued
•A
that the relocation of the Jarawas could
even be termed illegal under the
,
» rt •.
H Ml KM two.-1 •
1.
International Labour Organisation’s
(ILO) Convention 107 and Articles 7 and
10 of the United Nations Draft
Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous
Peoples, which prohibit “the forcible
removal of indigenous people from their
lands...” and “any form of population
transfer which may violate or undermine
.'
their rights...”
On the issue of health, Dr. James
Woodburn of the Department of
Anthropology in the London School of
On the Andaman Trunk Road, at the entry point to the Jarawa Reserve in South
Economics and Political Science pointed
Andaman island. (Below) The primary health centre at Kadamtala in the Middle
out that “when a previously isolated com
Andamans. A number of Jarawas who contracted diseases through contact with
munity with low population density (like
members of the settler communities outside the reserve, have been treated here.
the Jarawas) comes into contact with one
of high density (like the settlers), they are
particularly vulnerable to diseases like
measles against which they have not
acquired any immunity in childhood.” He
also pointed out that this could be the main
reason for the death of a large number of
the Great Andamanese community in the
19th century and of the Onge afterwards.
It was almost as if Dr. Woodburn was
looking into a crystal ball. A couple of
months later, in September 1999, an epi
demic of measles hit the Jarawa tribe. By
the third week of October, 48 per cent of
the estimated Jarawa population of350 was
suffering from disease and ill-health. The
affected people were treated mainly at the
primary health centre (PHC) in Kadamtala
in the Middle Andamans and at the G.B.
Pant Hospital in Port Blair. There were
even reports that a couple of them had died
in the forests. These reports could not be
corroborated, but clearly the worst fears
about their safety seemed to be coming
true.
Fortunately, a team of doctors com
views of the petitioner, particularly in the that the J arawas should be allowed to main
matter of relocating the Jarawas, which it tain their traditional lifestyles in the forests prising Dr. Namita Ali, Director of Health
felt would be disastrous for the tribal com and that any attempts to resetde or reha Services, Dr. Elizabeth Mathews,
Superintendent, G.B. Pant Hospital, and
munity. Most important, it requested the bilitate them would lead to disaster.
Dr. R.C. Kar, the medical officer in
“__
Historic___precedents involving the
court to order the removal of all encroach
ments, camps and outposts from theJarawa relocation and sedentarisation of tribal Kadamtala, did some commendable work,
reserve and an inquiry into whether the peoples (particularly in island cultures) and not a single casualty was reported
Andaman Trunk Road (see box) ought to have often led to their complete destruc- among those Jarawas who were admitted
be closed to traffic and alternative transport tion...,” explained Dr. Mark Levene of the to the hospitals.
Department of History, University of
routes explored.
A S for the court case, a six-member
Help also came from Survival Warwick, United Kingdom. Levene, a
International, the London-based tribal research scholar working in the area of jtYexpert committee established by the
rights organisation, which contacted eight genocide in the modern world, cited exam- court in February 2000 submitted its
of the world’s leading anthropologists. pies of such genocide in different parts of report six months later, in August. The
Their signed testimonies, which were the world - of Tasmanians by the British committee had the Chief Judicial
placed before the court, unanimously said settlers in the 19th century, of Chakmas Magistrate of Port Blair as its member-sec-
WWOBMli ; I-
£■■1
IfifJAWA AREA '■
■
'oi
66
FRONTLINE, AUGUST 31, 2001
n
retary. Other members included two
anthropologists, Dr. R.K. Bhattacharya
and Kanchan Mukhopadhyay from the
Anthropological Survey ofIndia (ASI), and
three doctors, Namita Ali, R.C. Kar and
Anima Burman from Port Blair.
The committee pointed out that a pre
liminary study by the ASI had indicated
that the forest had enough food resources
to provide for the Jarawas and that there
was no food shortage; that they continue
to be susceptible to many infectious dis
eases and that vigilance should not be slack
ened; that the maintenance of the
Andaman Trunk Road and procurement
of wood for the purpose regularly degrad
ed the forests; and that illegal fishing,
poaching and removal of NTFP from the
Jarawa reserve were happening regularly.
Many other conclusions of the committee
were reflected in the order issued on April
9 in Port Blair byJustice Samaresh Banerjea
and Justice Joytosh Banerjee. A detailed,
60-page written order in the matter came
from Calcutta more than six weeks later,
on May 28, 2001.
The court has directed the formation
of an expert committee to look into the
matter and given it six months from the
date ofits formation to come up with a plan
to deal with issues related to the Jarawas.
The order also made a special reference to
“Master Plan 1991-2021 for the Welfare
ofthe Tribes ofthe A&N” prepared by SA.
Awaradi, former Director, Tribal Welfare,
in the Andaman and Nicobar administra
tion. It indicated that the document should
be taken into consideration while formu
lating the final policies. For the interim
period, it has ordered a number of steps to
be implemented on a war footing.
The court has directed the local admin
istration to stop poaching and intrusion
into Jarawa territory and to prevent its fur
ther destruction by encroachment and
deforestation. It ordered issuance of an
‘appropriate notification clearly demarcat
ing the Jarawa territory’. This would great
ly help law enforcement, particularly in the
detection and removal of encroachments.
The court also ordered that penal measures
be taken against encroachers and poachers,
and importantly, against those among the
police and civil authorities who are negli
gent in this regard.
Accepting the recommendations of the
expert committee, the court directed that
medical aid be given to the Jarawas only
when they came out ofthe forest and sought
it and only to the extent necessary. It asked
for periodic medical programmes for the
Jarawas in their own territory and only to
the extent necessary so that they need not
FRONTLINE, AUGUST 31, 2001
Questions about a road
PANKAJ SEKHSARIA
The ATR is a perfect example of
------------------ -----------------------short-sighted planning. First, it is not the
HTTIE Andaman Trunk Road (ATR) best way to travel in the islands. Most of
1 connects Port Blair in South the setdements in the Andamans are sitAndaman to Diglipur in North uated on the coast, so the most logical
Andamans, covering nearly 340 kilome- and immensely cheaper mode of transtres. Across the world, road construe- port that should have been developed is
tion, particularly in rainforest areas, has marine transport,
Every year crores of rupees and
been one of the biggest reasons for the
destruction of forests and their indige large quantities of timber go into the
nous residents. The story of the ATR is maintenance of the road. SANE esti
no different. Directly and indirecdy, it mates that a minimum of 12,000 cubic
has contributed to the destruction ofvast metres of timber from the evergreen
areas of evergreen rainforests in the forests is burnt annually for this purirely affected
pose. Compare
this with the official figAndamans, which has sevei__,
x
_
the Jarawas.
ure of 70,000 cu m of timber that is
Work on the
the road
road began
began in
in 1971,
1971, logged in the entire islands today, and
and it was violendy opposed by the one gets a sense of the destruction
Jarawas. But the work continued and the caused by the ATR. There is not
entire stretch was completed recently,
itly. enough traffic on the ATR to justify
Huge amounts of money went into its such a huge expenditure.
But the question, as always, is the
construction which could have been
same: Who’s listening? ■
avoided in the first place.
Maintenance work on the Andaman Trunk Road inside the Jarawa reserve.
Large quantities of timber are burnt for the maintenance of the road.
come out from the forests for such aid.
Significandy, the court directed that until a
policy on dealingwithjarawas was finalised,
no new construction or extension of exist
ing construction should be undertaken in
the Jarawa territory and no extension was
to be made to the Andaman Trunk Road.
The order has been welcomed by envi
ronmental and tribal rights activists famil
iar with the situation in the archipelago. It
is considered a very positive order, and one
with great potential for safeguarding the
future of the tribal people here. Ensuring
its implementation is the next big chal
lenge, and a lot will depend on how and
with how much sincerity this is done. H
In association with The Transforming Word
Pankaj Sekhsaria is a member ofthe environment
action group, Kalpavriksh.
67
12
I INDIGENOUS PEOPLE
A people in peril
The Onge tribal community of Little Andaman, which is on the verge of extinction, faces a serious
threat from ill-conceived development plans and their attendant maladies.
PANKAJ SEKHSARIA
/""AN February 26, 1999, Andaman
Herald, a Port Blair newspaper,
reported that the bodies of two youngj
members of the Onge tribal comitmunity
were found floating in a creek near their
Dugong Creek settlement on the Little
Andaman island. The young men had
been missing for a few days apparendy
after having gone turtle-hunting. The
cause of the deaths was not known, but
drowning was ruled out. The Onge peo
ple are excellent swimmers and sailors
and there is no record of an Onge drowning in a creek. The newspaper said that
foul play was suspected as the post
mortem and the cremation were done
with undue haste. One of the dead men
was a constable with the Andaman and
Nicobar Police, according to the news
paper report.
This piece of news was inconsequential except to a ffew concerned people,
This incident, however, assumes extraordinary importance in the light of the fact
that the Onge issue has a complex background and history,
'"I ^HE Onge community is one of the
1 four Negrito tribal communities that
still survive in the Andaman islands. Its
population today is around a hundred
individuals; the 732 sq km of the thickly
forested island of Little Andaman is the
only area they inhabit. The community
is on the brink of extinction.
Additionally, one of the dead youths had
reportedly complained to an adviser to
the Planning Commission, who visited
the island in the recent past, about the
resource depletion that the community
faced owing to illegal timber logging and
poaching in the forests.
The Onge community had flourished
in the Andaman islands for centuries. Not
much is known about the community,
but whatever is known is proof enough
of the astonishing depth and diversity of
its knowledge (see box).
A powerful two-pronged attack - on
the natural resource base that sustains the
community and on the culture of the
community - has over the past three
decades slowly but surely pushed Onges
to a point of no return. Recent investiga
tions in Little Andaman have brought to
light: some glaring irregularities, and the
itwo reported deaths are believed to be the
The tribal community of Onges that had flourished in certain areas of the Andaman archipelago for centuries consists of only
a hundred or so individuals today.
FRONTLINE, MAY 7, 1.999
67
13
Cape Price
q.
latest and the most obvi
• Andaman and Nicobar
0
o r ,
ous consequence of the
i Forest Plantation and
o \
:
process.
! Development
North
0
The story of the Onge
• Corporation
(ANFAndamai
i PDC), which is the sole
people’s alienation begins
Diglipur
in the late 1960s, when
• agency responsible for
the Government of India
timber extraction here. In
p
planned a massive devel
1976, theANFPDC pre
i‘(?
opment and colonisation
sented its Project Report
1 Middle
for
Logging
and
programme for the union
Andaman
Marketing of timber from
territory of the Andaman
Port Andam;
the forests of Little
and Nicobar Islands, in
Andaman. It wks estimat
complete disregard of the
ed that a total of 60,000
fragile environment of the
Area de notified
I - 'I as tribal reserve
ha of the island was avail
islands and the rights of
able for logging and that
the tribal communities. A
60,000 cubic metres of
1965 plan, prepared
timber could be extracted
specifically for Little
annually from 800 ha.
Andaman, proposed the
a
Here again was anoth
clear-felling of nearly 40
er
clear
violation of the
per cent of the island’s
<=0
South
Onge tribal reserve.
forests, the bringing in of
Andamai
When 52,000 ha of the
12,000 settler families to
the area and the promo
island’s total area of
tion of commercial plan
73,000 ha was already a
Port Blair
Q
- &
tations, such as those of
tribal reserve, how could
60,000 ha be made avail
red oil palm, and timber
Rutland
<
able for logging? The
based industries in order
0
Corporation should have
to support the settler pop
c>
ulation.
limited its operations to
Had the plan been
the 19,600 ha that had
Duncan Passage
implemented fully, it
been leased out to it. With
! 1,600 ha being under red
would have destroyed
Little Andaman and
I oil palm plantation, the
caused the extinction of
actual area for logging was
the Onge tribe. Logistical
I even less, at 18,000 ha.
Andaman
Sea
tittle
problems, lack of infra
! This meant that the
Andaman
structure and a revision of
Corporation should have
i logged only 18,000 cu m
policies over time ensured
that the destruction was
• of timber from an area of
< 240 ha annually. The average for the actu
not complete. However, in the concep
< al logging over the last two decades, how
tion and planning of the development
programme, the Onges were sidelined
ever, is much higher, at 25,000 cu m of
and the violations started.
J timber from an area of 400 ha annually.
The government team that suggest
Furthermore, a working plan has not
I
been prepared for the logging operations
ed the development programme ignored
the Andaman and Nicobar Protection of
on Little Andaman. Besides, the contin
ued logging contravenes a Supreme
Aboriginal Tribes Regulation (ANPACourt order of 1996 stopping all logging
TR), which had in 1957 accorded the sta
in the absence of a working plan. The
tus of a tribal reserve to the entire island
of Little Andaman. Further, about
Forest Department has justified the log
20,000 hectares (roughly 30 per cent) of
ging on the basis of its 1976 project
the island was denotified from its tribal
report. However, the legality and validi
reserve status in two stages, in 1972 and
ty of this report are open to question.
1977, still leaving 52,000 ha as an invio
Significantly,
the
Deputy
Conservator of Forests - Working Plan
lable tribal reserve. Many of the proposed
projects were also taken up for imple The coordinates of a logging site as
(DCF-WP) ofthe Andaman and Nicobar
mentation. These included a 1,600-ha they appear on a global positioning
Forest Department is now reportedly
red oil palm plantation and a major tim system (GPS) reception unit which
preparing a working plan for the forests
ber extraction operation that continues indicate that the site may be located
of Little Andaman. This clearly contra
even today.
either on the border of the tribal
dicts the present stand of the
The Forest Department leased out reserve or be further inside the
Department, which claims that the
19,600 ha from the denotified area to the reserve on Little Andaman.
equivalent of a working plan already
I
68
FRONTLINE, MAY 7, 1999
<
in
<6
*
<
<
I§
I
'h
>41
I
W i ■
W
r
^5:
r' f<\.-
vl
w- ■'
igoyM
r or
' w ■
iiw
fc. Jla^lk
- ji•
bl
V-i
rfl ■FplBWfen
I
¥J- ■;
rJ'\
7x>&,
- 1 ww il
A
f-
I
>7^-7^;/; < ? .; 7?<; 7 ;
: ' .''
". 7 "X' !<
Jr
--7 ,'"' a
77'i=5S7®777ft ? .- I BlliWllW
'
'i !
‘..
..
.. v:--] ‘^’■: ■
sir 1 ■'
««i
i
ri
;.r ■' - ^rri \rribw
j;z7r.
'jb ■ -
,
11
rj " 1. ■..: < iUi i I j3«
;7. 'WS
Forests burnt and cleared for the creation of settlements and farms inside the Onge reserve.
(Below) A logging camp inside the reserve.
,;ffy ijji jn
gyraaa
A precious heritage
PAN KAJ S EKHS ARI A
—— ------ -——---------
some vigorous chewing they are quickly reduced to a greenish pulp, which is
smeared all over the-body...another;
f 14HE ethnobotanical knowledge of huge mouthful is chewed on the way
1 the Onge tribal community is stag- up and spat at the bees to make sure
gering. Italian anthropologist Lidio . that they.will be deterred... the bees fly
Cipriani, who studied the community away from the comb without stinging'
in the 1950s, was among the? first of and the honey can be cut out...” caus' many experts to acknowledge this ing harm neither to the collector of
Onge heritage. He wrote in 1966: “In honey nor to the bees.
their continual search for food the
Disregarding such knowledge,.
Onges have acquired botanical and attempts are made to impart modern u
zoological knowledge which seems technology to the Onge people. A few
almost innate, and they know of prop- years ago the Fisheries: Department
erties in plants and animals of which. posted a fisheries inspector and two
we are quite unaware. Nearly every day fishermen at Dugong Creek to teach
on Little Andaman I came across this. Onges modern methods of fishing/'
I had only to draw a rough sketch of an The fishermen adnutted later that, they
animal and they knew at once where it had much to learn from the tribal com. could; be-found; it was only, thanks to: munity about fishing in the waters of
them that I was able to find the-vari- the island.
■ous amphibia,: which subsequently
More recently, ua' controversyproved to be new species.”
erupted when senior researchers from
Among the best-known examples ■ the Indian CounciT of Medical
of Onge: knowledge. is the method Research (ICMR). tried to patent a disOnges use to extract honey from the covery that would probably lead to a
Elephants at work In the huge timber
hives of the giant rock bee. In order to cure for cerebral malaria. The issue
yard In Hut Bay on the Little Andaman
ward off the bees, they use the leaves of; attracted international attention. The
island.
a plant, which they call ‘tonjoghe’ source of the medicine in question is a
{Orphea katshalica). To quote Cipriani plant that the Onge use to treat fever
m
again: “...the juice of a certain plant and stomach disorders.
sb''5
they, call tonjoghe... has the power of
The size and.nature of the wealth Oo
deterring bees, and this knowledge that lies in the island home ofthe Onge
•
(which) has been handed down from people are largely unknown. What is
generation, to generation, is. applied more important is that if the present 1o
with delightful simplicity...There are situation continues, the Onge people; 5ra
bushes of tonjoghe everywhere...the may not survive for too long and with 3o
Onges simply grab a handful of leaves them will go a huge bank of invaluable
and stuff them into the mouth. With knowledge. ■
■ I
----- — '
I
■ I
CD
exists.
The Andaman Adim Janjati Vikas
As if this was not enough, the Samiti (AAJVS), the official tribal welfare
Corporation has gone a step further; it is body of the administration, introduced
logging within the tribal reserve, making welfare measures that were completely
a mockery of the law and also the rights unsuitable for the Onges. Foodstuffs such
of the Onges. Maps available with the as rice, dal, oil and biscuits were introANFPDC and the Forest Department
x
duced to a community whose traditionhave logging coupes dated 1990 onwards al food included the meat of the wild boar
marked clearly within the tribal reserve.
and turtle, fish, tubers and honey. The
Even as tthese
‘
violations occurred, agency even offered each adult 250 gm of
thousands of outsiders were settled in tobacco as a “welfare” measure. In a bla
Little Andaman. The settler population tant attempt to move the forestry opera
grew rapidly; from a few hundreds in the tions deeper into the forests of Little
1960s to 7,000 in 1984 and over 12,000 Andaman, authorities have sought to setset
in 1991, displacing Onges from some of de the nomadic Onges at Dugong Creek
their most {preferred
r
' 'habitats.
'•
THut
T "
,
• the
’ northeast
'
.....................
Bay,
in
of.the
island and ......
at South■
the main town in the island,
is an exam- Bay at the southern tip. Wooden houses
-----------------ple.
on stilts and with asbestos roofing were
70
The survival of the Onges can be
ensured only If the present
development policies v/s-a-v/s the tribal
people are reviewed with sensitivity.
FRONTLINE, MAY 7, 1999
tb
K
F
w
1
,
•
Little
Andaman:
J?
t ■*'
E -fe
on p
wBWfc;
I ■
7 the
i Onge
n
of
672.
departmental Team on Accelerated
Development Programme for the A&N
Islands’, Ministry of Rehabilitation,
Government of India.
1970: Timber extraction begins. 1
1971: Population of the Onge 112.
1972: First amendment to the trib
al reserve on Little Andaman.
1974: Forest Depanment assesses
constructed for them at these places, become addicts. This addiction is now
These structures were not suited for the exploited - the Onge people exchange
hot and humid tropical environment of with the setders valuable resources such
the islands and the Onge people preferred as honey, turde eggs, wild boar meat and
to live in their traditional huts in the for- ambergris for liquor.
est nearby.
Logging operations have also helped
Simultaneously, attempts were made open up the forests, encouraging further
to introduce a cash economy in the com- encroachments into the tribal reserve,
munity, which did not have even a barter Consequently, illegal activities such as
system. Ill-conceived schemes, such as the poaching have become rampant - result
raising of a coconut plantation (in which ing in a drastic decline of rare creatures
the Onge people were made workers), such as the monitor lizard, the dugong
cattle-rearing (the community does not and the endemic Andaman wild pig. All
consume milk) and pig-breeding, were these creatures are not only important
introduced. All of them failed. sources of food and nutrition for the
Environmentalist Bittu Sahgal noted that Onge people, but play an integral role in
during one of his visits to the Onge set- their culture and society. Their unavaildement a few years ago, the Onge people ability leaves gaps that cannot be filled,
were found being used to do menial
It is clear now that the survival of the
chores, such as fetching water for welfare Onges can only be ensured if the present
workers appointed by the administration, policies vis-a-vis development and the
A visit to the Onge settlement of tribal people are reviewed with sensitiviDugong Creek has become mandatory ty. Serious attention must be paid to what
on many a VIP itinerary. Not only are the the tribal people have to say and an honOnge people expected to perform for the est attempt made to find out what they
pleasure and entertainment of the VIP, want. There are no signs however of that
but they are put to work weeks in advance being done.
to tidy up the settlement.
At a meeting of the District Planning
The settler communities, which have Committee held in Port Blair in
been handed over the lands and resources November 1998, the Onge representaof the Onge people, have not treated tive, Tambolai, complained that settlers
them any better. They exploit and look living in the areas near their settlement
>ling them. A major point he
down upon the tribal people. Alcohol was were troubling
introduced and many Onges have made was tthat finding wild pigs in the
FRONTLINE, MAY 7, 1999
1975: Forest Department initiates
workfen the fed oil palm plantation.
1976: The Andaman Adim Janjati
Cotpoudo. pwpowl far losing
forestry operations in Little Andaman, fe
pjs." F“
^j^fe^-Second dendtificaton of.the
tribal reserve on Little Andaman.
1977-79: More outside families set-
W 19^L d■ Y' S q = ? s I00’
pologistVishvajit Pandya.
1988: Formulation of the National
Forest Policy which makes a special case
for the protection of the rainforests of
the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
1991: Population of the Onge 101.
1995: Patenting controversy related
to O nge knowledge.
‘
'
1996: Supreme Court order on
forests.
1999: Two Onge youths* found
__
forests was becoming difficult and hence
the timber extraction operations should
be stopped.
If the responses of the authorities are
anything to go by, Tambolai may well
have been talking to the wind. ■
71
17
Deforestation in Andaman and Nicobar
Its Impact on Onge
The Andaman and Nicobar Islands have seen widespread deforestation in the years since
independence, endangering the habitat, the inhabitants and the wildlife. Only a concerted effort
by the government and its agencies, the mill owners, the labour in timber felling and the
tyGOs can preserve the pristine biodiversity of these islands and protect the
rights of the inhabitants.
Pankaj Sekhsaria
here is no denying the fact that India
has witnessed large-scale defores
tation; only 19 per cent of India’s
landmass is reportedly under forest cover
today. This has adversely affected both
human communities that depend on the
forests for survival and wildlife, due to
loss of habitat. Serious and detailed re
search by many scholars in the recent past
has thrown light on this important issue,
particularly in the historical context.
Though there is evidence of deforesta
tion even in pre-colonial India, especially
due to the expansion of agriculture, it has
- been shown beyond doubt that the largescale destruction of the forests was started
_by the British, India’s colonial rulers. An
idea of the commercial onslaught on India’s
forests by the British has been pieced
together by Gadgil and Guha (1992).
Quoting from a number of sources, they
show how the British navy’s need for
durable timber was increasingly being
met from India, from teak Tectona grandis
forests.
Vast tracts of forest were chopped to
create the railway network that criss-crosses
India today. The aim was twofold; the fast,
cheap and efficient transport of inexpensive raw materials to the ports for export
to Britain’s industries and the quick
movement of security forces to maintain
.the hold over the empire. For instance,
between 1869 and 1885, over 65,00,000
deodar Cedrus deodara sleepers were
extracted from the Yamuna Valley forests
in. the Himalayas, which in turn was ne
cessitated because the supply of teak
and sal Shorea robusta from peninsular
India was getting exhausted. Wood for
railway sleepers and as fuel for power
ing the locomotives facilitated the expan-
Economic and Political Weekly
sion of both the railways and the British
empire.
Of equal, if not greater relevance was
the takeover of the forests by the British
by the creation of exploitative bureaucracies like the forest department. Majority
of the forests of the country were con
verted into state-owned and controlled
reserved forests (RF), and protected forests (PF) by the enactment of the Indian
Forest Act of 1865 and 1927. This resulted
in the alienation of the local communities
from their resources and forests and the
loss of responsibility for their conserva
tion and protection [Kothari and Pathak
1998].
Many environmental historians hold the
opinion that the large-scale destruction of
the forests in India is rooted in the com
mercially oriented forest use and owner
ship policies of the British government
which continued even after India gained
independence in 1947.
The other major cause of deforestation
immediately after independence was ag
ricultural expansion, often state-sponsored.
Much of the rich moist deciduous forests
of the humid, Terai region in northern
Uttar Pradesh for example, were cleared to
provide land to immigrants from the newly
created Pakistan. Most of the woodland,
once covering the Indo-Gangetic plains
was also gradually converted to fields or
grazing lands [Subramanium and Sasidharan 1993]. Indeed between 1951 and
. 1980, according to the Forest Survey of
India (1987), over 26.20 lakh hectares
(26,200 sq km) of forest was converted
for agriculture purposes all over India
[Kothari 19^3].
In more recent times it is the new
policies and programmes of development;
September 22, 2001
rapid industrialisation, urbanisation
and growing consumerism that have re
sulted in the wide scale destruction of the
forests.
In certain parts of the country, particularly the rainforest regions of the north
eastern states bordering China and Burma
and the remote islands of the Andaman and
Nicobar, a lot of the forests have been fed
into the plywood mills. Other parts of India
have witnessed a spurt of large projects;
from big dams, and thermal power projects
to huge mines and massive industrial
complexes. Many of these have been lo
cated in what were once thick forest areas.
So these forests were drowned in the back
waters of dam projects or were cleared for
mines or industrial complexes. Simulta
neously, demands for food,, fuel and fod
der by an increasing human and cattle
population have increased the pressure on
the forests tremendously.
What has been equally bad if not worse
is that the developmental projects very
insensitively alienated communities living
in the forests, depriving them of their basic
sources of survival, forcing them to move
away and in. the process making them
refugees on their own land. The very people
who lived in and tended the forests for
generations were forced to participate in
the destruction of the forests and then also
share the blame for it. This process con
tinues even today in various forms in many
parts of the country, resulting in the rapid
decline n forest cover.
This case study will look at the situation
in one of the remotest corners of India, the
islands of the Andaman and Nicobar, a
chain of over 350 islands located in the
Bay of Bengal. The study looks particu
larly at the deforestation in the relatively
3643
ig
small island of Little Andaman which is
also the home of a very small and remark
able but also threatened tribal community,
the Onge.
The Andaman and Nicobar islands are
considered to be the emergent peaks of a
submerged mountain range related to the
Arakan Yoma mountain range of main
land Burma. The main features of the
islands include steep hills, and generally
poor soil with little water holding capacity.
Flat terrain is extremely limited and the
larger islands have long meandering creeks
along the coast. The islands are clothed in
thick evergreen forests that are home to
a large biodiversity and also have some of
the finest mangroves and coral reefs found
in the world.
There are more than 350 islands in the
Andaman group and over 24 islands in
the Nicobar. Only 10 per cent of the island
area is inhabited by humans. The islands
cover a total area of 8,249 sq kms and have
a total coastline of 1,962 km which equals
25 per cent of the coastline of mainland
India.
Zoogeographically the islands occupy
an unique position [Saldhana 1989]. The
flora that has evolved here is of a distinct
nature, and though related to mainland
Indian flora, shows much closer similari
ties to those of Burmese, Malaysian and
Indonesian origins. At least 32 species and
subspecies of mammals, 95 bird species
and 23 reptile spices are unique to the
group of islands. Understandably the is
lands have been identified as one of the
hotspots of biodiversity in India.
The islands are also home to six indig
enous tribal communities; two of them the Shompen and the Nicobari are of
Mongloid origin and reside in the Nicobar
group. The other four communities are of
Negrito origin and live in the Andaman
group. They are the Great Andamanese,
the Onge, the Jarawa, and the Sentinelese.
These tribes are hunter-gatherer commu
nities and have successfully survived in
these islands for centuries, much before
the advent of modern man here. Their
knowledge and understanding of the for. ests is extensive and they share a close
relationship with it.
Today however; except for the Nicobarese all these communities are faced
with the grim prospect of extinction as
insensitive policies of the state, pressures
from modem civilisation and a big timber
3644
factory in Port Blair [Whitaker 1985]. This
remained the only private forest based
industry here till the early 1960s, when the
plywood mills were first set up.
History of Logging
With India gaining independence from
The main timber operations in these the British in 1947, a new phase began for
islands are limited to the Andaman islands the islands too. A colonial hangover was
only. Though there has been deforestation evident in independent India’s ‘colon
in the Nicobars for the establishment of isation scheme’ for the islands as a part
settlements the timber industry has so far of which thousands of people were brought
stayed away from operating there.
from mainland India and settled here.
Like in the rest of India, the prime
What has also been important is the
responsibility for starting the forestry in strategic location of the island chain in the
these islands too rests with the British. In Bay of Bengal, close to countries in south
fact the British were the first outsiders who east Asia and just north of an important
were able to successfully establish their commercial shipping lane. One strategy of
the government of India to maintain its
settlements on the islands.
It was only in 1789 that Lieutenant advantage and strengthen its claim over
Archibald Blair ofthe Indian (British) Navy the islands has been to encourage more and
was appointed to survey the islands with more mainlanders to come and settle here.
a view to finding a harbour, “where fleets These two factors have been largely re
in the time of war can refit by any means.. .or sponsible for the population growth that
to which any part or the whole may retire has been witnessed in the last few decades
in the event of a disastrous conflict with starting in the 1950s (Table 1).
As a matter of fact, in the early years
the enemy.” A small settlement was set up
in the island of north Andaman. This various incentives were, offered to the
however, proved disastrous due to the people to come and settle in the islands,
prevalence of various diseases, particu- Each settler household was gi ven four acres
larly cerebral malaria and the attempt was of flat land for paddy, five acres of hilly
abandoned pretty soon [Whitaker 1985]. land for tree crops and one acre to build
Attempts were made again by the British a homestead. Twelve tonnes of free royalty
in the late 1850s and they were able to timber was given for house construction
create Port Blair as a penal settlement in and an additional five tonnes for house
1858, mainly for criminals from mainland repairs every five years [Saldhana 1989].
The growth in population meant that the
India and later for freedom fighters too.
Large tracts of land were first cleared in pressures on the forest - both direct and
1858 for the penal settlement itself. By indirect— also increased. It is clear that the
1870 a limited exploitation of hardwoods .growth in the timber extraction operations
had already begun. The forest department, corresponds directly to the growth in the
with the major responsibility of timber population of the islands (Table 2). This
extraction was started in 1883 [Whitaker destruction of the forests for the extraction
1985]. The Chatham saw mill was set up of timber was in addition to the clear
around this time and was for a long time felling that was done for the settlements
considered the biggest saw mill in the themselves.
whole of Asia. It is operational even today.
Table 1: Population Figures
The 1901 census report of the islands,
for the first time lists forestry as a source Year Total Population Andamanese Onge
of employment and lists about 900 indi 1901
678
625
24,499
viduals involved in various activities like 1911
455
631
26,459
346
209
27,080
extraction, saw mills and firewood. Ac 1921
90
250
.29,476
cording to the then chief commissioner of 1931
150
23
30,971
1951
129
the islands, Lt Colonel Sir Richard C 1961
19
63,548
112
19
1,15,133
Temple, ‘...this is a comparatively new 1971
103
1,88,745
' 25
1981
department for utilising convict labour and 1991
28
101
2,80,661
is now the chief source of revenue in cash’ 1998
4,00,000
(estimated)
[Census of India 1901].
Later in 1929 the Swedish Western Match Source. Census of India 1995, Saldhana 1989;
Voters list; 1998 general election.
Company (WIMCO) started a match splint
industry continues unrelentingly in the
islands.
Economic and Political Weekly
September 22, 2001
It has been estimated that between 9 and have allowed the timber industry to con to interact and mingle with settlers living
13 per cent of the total land area of the tinue and even to make substantial profits. in the areas bordering their territory
islands has been felled in little more than . In effect, the exploitation of the forests [Sekhsaria 1998]. A centuries-old isolaand tion has been broken and the future of the
a century of operations [Pandeet al 1991]. here is being subsidised for the use u—
benefit
of
a
far
away
population
of
main
Jarawa can, today, only be a matter of
There is no consensus on the actual area
land
India
that
has
no
real
stake
in
the
speculation,
that still remains under forest and some
Ironically (and it is certainly a powerful
islands
or
the
conservation
of
its
forests.
observers are of the opinion that even a
comment
on the state of our civilisation)
There are other interesting dimensions
large part of this forest is degraded and
it
is
the
result
of this isolation and aggresunder secondary growth [Whitaker 1985). too. The profits made and the incentives
us,
that these communities
With the growing population of migrants offered by the administration encouraged sion against
the
plywood
mills
to
go
in
for
substantial
have
managed
to
retain their freedom and
on the islands there was a need for the
original
identity
[Whitaker 1985; Paul
augmentation
of
their
production
capa
government to create employment oppor
tunities for the people. The abundant forests cities. Today, however, with growing 1992; Sekhsaria 1998]. It is here that the
and the timber within it became the ob awareness, intervention by the courts and . Jarawa and the Sentinelese have succeeded
vious source for
1 the generation of both change in policies, logging in the islands where the Onge and the Great Andamanese
appears to be reducing.1 Official figures lost out.
income and employment.
Epidemics like pneumonia in 1868,
The British had already started the of timber logged shows a downward trend
operations, but their expansion had been in the last few years (Table 2). Conse- measles in 1877, influenza in 1896 and
limited. Till the 1960s the Chatham saw quently the amount of timber offered to syphillis killed the Great Andamanese by
mill and the WIMCO match splint factory the plywood mills too has been reduced, the hundreds. The tribals had no resistance
were the only major timber units in the leaving the mills complaining about lack to these diseases which they contracted
from the outsiders. The Great Andamanese
islands. However the growing influx of of enough timber and idle capacities.
are today finished as an independent race
Significantly,
to
make
up
for
this
short
people here meant that the industry would
* * that
’l was esage
in
the
availability
of
timber
the
private
of
people. Their population
have to expand.
industry
has
begun
to
import
timber
from
•
timated
to
be
around
5,000
individuals
in
In the initial years, following indepen
Malaysia
under
the
Open
General
Licence
the
early
part
of
the
19th
century
today
dence the administration offered huge
incentives to industry in the form of sub (OGL) scheme of the government of India, comprises of merely 28 individuals
sidies to make it attractive for an entre- For the financial year 1997-98,25 percent [Whitaker 1985; Saldhana 1989].
The Onge
who live on the island of Little
preneur to invest here. These were largely of the private industry intake was met by
~
made
use
of
by
the
private
plywood
indussuch
imports
(personal
communication,
Andamanihavefared
only
made use of by the private plywood industry that began in the late fifties and have industry officials) - an ironic and interest From 600 individuals in 1901 the popu
ing ‘robbing Peter to pay Pan’ situation. lation has fallen to 101 individuals today
continued till today.
The people who have suffered the most (Table 1). Whereas the Great Andamanese
Today, the timber based industry in the
in
these islands are the indigenous com- declined because of the various epidemics,
Andamans comprises of two government
munities
for whom the forests are home, the Onge are suffering on account of the
saw mills, some small private saw mills
This
has
resulted
from the combined impact destruction of their forests and the impoand furniture making units and three pri
vate plywood units. It is these private of the destruction of the forests and the sition of a way of life that is alien and
the largest imposition of an alien and insensitive insensitive to them.
plywood mills that are today
1
The destruction on Little Andaman goes
consumers of the timber in the islands; culture that brought along with it various
even
today, pushing the Onge further and
diseases
and
other
vices
such
as
alcohol
their intake accounting for roughly 70 per
further towards oblivion. The case of the
and
tobacco.
cent of the 75,000 cubic metres of timber
Except the Nicobarese, all the other tribes Onge and the happenings on their island
logged here annually (personal communicatkin of industry officials, Forest Statis- have suffered in varying degrees. The Great is a classic case of how modem notions
'. ■ Andamanese were the first community to of development are causing widespread
tics 1993-94; A and N Forest Department).
What is very significant is that 98 per be contacted by the British and this was destruction of the forests and of a
cent of the plywood manufactured in the followed by the Onge who live on the
Table 2: Annual Extraction of Timber
•
in the A and N Islands
Andaman islands is not used locally (per -island of Little Andaman. Both these com
munities
suffered
immensely
from
the
illsonal communication, industry officials).
Ave Annual Extraction
Date
in Cubic Metre
It is all exported to mainland India to effects of the colonial contact and the
satisfy the insatiable demands of an ever- interaction that followed.
Pre 1950
The other two negrito communities, the
15,300
increasing market. The government con
1869-1929
49,700
1930-1950
tinues to offer various subsidies that in- Jarawa and the Sentinelese have scrupu1950
clude lowly priced local timber, a subsidy lously avoided contact .with the outside Post
1951-1962
88,800
to the tune of 90 per cent for the transport world and even used violent means to do
1968-1983
1,18,800
1990-1995
1,12,000
of goods to and from mainland and a power so. This however appears to be changing
1997-98
75.000
subsidy of over 80 per cent among others in the case of the Jarawa now. For the first
time
in
their
history
they
are
beginning
to
Source.
Saldhana
1989
and
A
and
N Forest
[Directorate of Industries, A and N Is
Department.
come
out
of
their
forest
home
lands, Port Blair 19^1]’ These subsidies voluntarily
Economic and Political Weekly
September 22, 2001
3645
Andaman in particular. Various schemes Whitaker 1985; Saldhana 1989].
The first saw mill on the island was set
were proposed for the development of the
islands under broad categories of strategy, up in 1970 and simultaneously large areas
agriculture, animal husbandry, forest, in were cleared for the establishment of the
dustry, fishery, water, transport, health, settlements. As proposed in the develop
ment plan some area was also cleared for
colonisation and manpower.
the establishment of a red oil palm plan
The
island
of
Little
Andaman
was
spe
Little Andaman
cially earmarked for a Rehabilitation and tation. About a decade ago the decision
This is the southern most island of the Resettlement (R and R) programme, con- was taken that the plantation would not be
Andaman group of islands with an area of sidering many favourable factors like a expanded and fortunately that moratorium
730 sq km. The island is for most part flat, large (by the standards of the Andamans) has stood [ANFPDC 1997; Bhatee 1985L.. inhabitants
___ (only the Onge)
?..«-) 86]. Simultaneously the Andaman and
Only the central and southern portions of island, few
and
the
presence
of
good
natural
and
forest Nicobar Forest and Plantation and Develthe island-have undulating hills with the
opment Corporation (ANFPDC) was crehighest point rising to 156 m above sea resources, particularly timber.
The committee suggested drastic steps ated and it was given the twin responsilevel. The island is the only home of the
Onge tribe of Negrito origin which has for the development of the island. The bilities of managing the red oil palm plan
lived here for centuries. Today as seen suggestions made for Little Andaman tation and carrying out the timber extrac
earlier the community comprises of a small included clear felling of half of the island’s tion operations [ANFPDC 1976].
Later on in the 1970s certain legal
group of only 101 individuals [Saldhana forests, settlement of 12,000 settler fami1989;. A and N Administration 1995].
lies on the cleared land, creation of plan- changes were made to the boundaries of
At one point of time in history the Onge tations of coconut, areca, and palm oil, and the Onge Reserve to allow for the activities
too were hostile to outsiders like the Jarawa use of the felled timber for wood based that were suggested for the island [PATR
and Sentinelese today. The most well industries like saw mills and plywood 1957]. However, 70 per cent of the island
was still retained as a tribal reserve for the
known record of their hostility is of 1867, factories.
Onge and even today this is the status. On
Even
when
the
scheme
for
the
when they killed many of the crew and
burned down the British ship ‘Assam colonisation of Little Andaman was being paper, at least this was and continues to
Valley’ that had come to the island planned, the entire island had already been beexclusiveOngelandonwhichnosettle[Whitaker 1985]. Though the history of legally-notified as a tribal reserve for the ment, logging activity or trespassing is
the settlements and the timber extraction Onge. This had been done in 1957 itself, allowed. Unfortunately however, this sta
operation in the Andaman islands in gen- long before the plans for the development tus and the protection accorded have reeral is more than a century ’old. Little of the island were thought out (Protection mained only on paper.
The population on the island has con
Andaman remained coi ?pletely untouched of Aboriginal Tribes Regulation 1956,
Andaman and Nicobar Administration). tinued to increase; from virtually no out
till very recently.
It is now clear that the presence of the sider in the 1960s to over 12,000 individu
The 1960s saw the massive colonisation
programme planned for the Andaman and tribal reserve was completely ignored and als today [A and N Administration 1995].
Nicobar (A and N) Islands. Till this time all the proposals made and activities ini- As more and more people move into the
the island of Little Andaman had belonged tiated were in violation of the rights of the island from outside, good forest land within
only to the Onge who were also known Onge. The forest too had no value except the Onge reserve continues to be en
to- travel in their dugout canoes to nearby for the timber that could be extracted from croached upon. Trespassing into the re
islands and occasionally to Port Blair too it. Otherwise they were considered useless serve area for poaching of animals like the
[Whitaker 1985]. A massive development wastelands that needed to be cleared, Andaman wild pig by these settlers is also
extremely common. This prized animal is
and colonisation programme was now un reclaimed, and aggressively developed.
endemic to the region and is very imporThe
report
emphasised
that
it
was
ten
dertaken as a part of which thousands of
mainland Indians, refugee families from tative and provisional, but the proposals tant in the diet and culture of the Onge
erstwhile East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) that were made are clearly indicative of the “[Pandya '1993]. Today however habitat
and Tamils from Sri Lanka were settled here. scale of destruction suggested and planned. loss and poaching have resulted in a sharp
An ‘Inter Departmental Team on Accel They also set the ball rolling and became decline in their numbers [Tambe and
erated Development Programme for the basis on which the destruction started; Acharya 1997].
The area of about 20,000 hectares of the
Andaman and Nicobar’, set up by the the twin processes of the settlement of
ministry of rehabilitation, government of thousands of outsiders and the starting of island that was handed over to the Forest
India, submitted its report in 1965. The a huge timber extraction operation to Corporation has been extensively logged
over in the last three decades. Recently
plans and more importantly the thinking support these settlers.
Over
the
last
35
years,
roughly
30
per
there have been reports alleging that the
and the attitudes of the time were clearly
evident in the report which is popularly cent of the island of Little Andaman has Forest Corporation itself, has been violat
referred to as ‘the Green Book’ [ministry been taken over by outsiders for settle ing the tribal reserve by directly logging
of rehabilitation, Gol, 1965]. It prescribed ments, agriculture, timber extraction op timber from within the boundaries of the
the route to take for the development of erations and plantations [Protection Ab reserve. We thus have an extremely unfor
the A and N islands in general and Little original Tribes Regulation (PATR), 1957; tunate case here where the main violator of
community that is dependant on them for
survival. It is also representative of the
general situation in the other islands in the
Andamans and has many lessons for the
future.
3646
Economic and Political Weekly
September 22, 2001
A
dependant on the dole offered, than to honey from the hi ves of the dangerous rock
encourage them to lead their traditional bees, ‘Apis dorsata’. The leaves of the
and independent lives. This dole has sud- plant are chewed and the juice is smeared
denly introduced items of food like rice all over the body before they climb the tree
and sugar which were never a part of the with the hive [Dutta et al 1983; Basu
Onge diet. The dole for the Onge at one 1990]. There is some ingredient in the
time also included 250 gms of tobacco for juice that immobilises the bees and makes
each adult as a welfare measure [Awaradi them harmless. The Onge keep chewing
1990]. The long-term health impacts of the leaf as they climb up the tree and on
such drastic changes can never be prepre reaching the hive, spit some of the juice
dieted, but the consequences can well be on the bees. The method is so effective that
imagined. Attempts are also being made the bees are made to move a^ay and only
through the various welfare measures, to that part of the comb is cut away that has
induce the Onge to give up their nomadic the honey - an entire process that is harm
way of life in favour of one that is much less to humans; to the bees and as safe and
more settled. The main aim appears to be efficient as anything can be. -Even more
to settle the Onge so that they no longer recent was the ‘discovery’ by the Indian
need the entire island to roam and use for Council of Medical Research (ICMR), of
survival. Consequently a much larger chunk a plant used by the Onge, which could
of the forests which cannot be exploited possibly have the cure for the dreaded, and
at the moment will become available.
often fatal disease of cerebral malaria. This
Simultaneously the settlers also intro- discovery, unfortunately also got involved
duced to these people other vices like in an ugly patenting related controversy,
alcohol which many Onge are now ad- obscuring in the process its importance
dieted to. This has made them much more and great potential value [Kothari 1996;
- susceptible to exploitation, and the settlers Me Girk 1998]. Far from respecting and
have made the best possible use of the learning from this knowledge, policies are
situation. In exchange for the ubiquitous being implemented which will eventually
Fate of Onge
bottle, popularly known here as 180 (after destroy all before it even can be docuThe clearance of land for settlements the standard size of a bottle of alcohol of mented. The Onge as the original inhaband the loss of forests to logging have had 180 ml), the Onge give away to the settlers itants, have the first right over this land
a direct impact on the Onge. They have precious resources like honey, resin, but not many are willing to concede this,
The political will too is absent. If anything,
been driven away from what was their ambergris and turtle eggs.
Many
experts
are
of
the
opinion
that
the weight of political support is on the
prime and preferred habitat and have been
forced to move deeper into the forest [Paul unless drastic steps are taken which in side of the settlers, as is evident in the
1992]. With excessive poaching of their clude the terminating of the forestry op statement made in 1990 by one of the most
food sources like the wild pig, survival is erations in the island and stopping the prominent and influential politicians from
becoming excessively difficult for them. cultural assault, the Onge will not survive the islands, “...Job seekers (settlers) who
Logging operations have also played the for too long as a viable, independent group have come (to) the island are now serious
role of opening up the island further. Roads of people. The Onge can be saved only if contenders for the allotment of house sites
that are bulldozed in the forest to carry out the destruction of their forest and the and agricultural land. Since the political
system goes with the number, no political
logging operations give the settlers greater colonisation of their lands are stopped.
In the short-sighted rush to exploit the party is in a position to contradict their
and easier access to areas that were oth
erwise inaccessible. Not only has it facili forests of the Onge, certain other critical demands” [Paul 1992]. The Onge with a
tated greater poaching, but also made it aspects of Onge culture have been com population of 101 individuals, certainly
much easier for the settlers to move further pletely ignored. This includes the vast have no chance of being heard.
It is clear that the Onge are completely
and further into the forest to establish storehouse of their traditional knowledge
settlements. Simultaneously the Onge have of the plants and animals. The Onge have dependant of the forests for survival, and
had to face the onslaught of an alien, knowledge that could prove to be a boon only if this fact is given the importance
modem culture that is highly insensitive to the whole of mankind; it could be a new it deserves, can the forests and the Onge
and unable to appreciate or even acknowl food plant or a cure for a disease that be saved. As things stand today, the future
edge their traditional way of life [Awaradi modem medicine has failed to fight. There for both seems bleak. ST3
is proof of this already, though only very
199°].
,
Notes
The Andaman Adim Janjati Vikas Samiti minimal ethno-botanical research has yet
(AAJVS), the Andaman Tribal Welfare been carried out here.
_,
■. ,
i . [The issues of forestry and deforestation in the
Board of the A and N administration has
The Onge, e g, use a particular plant Andaman islands discussed in this paper were
a welfare scheme for the Onge, but this ‘Orphea katshalica’, (‘tonjoghe’ in Onge studied as part of a larger environmental
seems directed more towards making them language) in the process t)f extracting of investigation carried out in the Andaman islands
the law is an arm of the administration
itself.
Deforestation and developmental policies have had an adverse impact on The
ecoldogy of the island and the surrounding
• number
‘ of the
oceans. Reduction in the
serofa
Andaman wild
i.
.pig_ (Sus
.
andamanensis) and the slow moving sea
mammal*Dugong Jugon has occurredboth
due to poaching and habitat destruction
[SANE nd; Pande et al 1991].
Large quantities of sand has been mined
from the beaches for construction activi
ties. Consequently, beaches have been
destroyed, erosion by the sea has increased
and in some places the beaches have sim
ply vanished. Endangered sea turtles like
the Olive Ridley (Lepidochelys olivacea)
and the Green sea turtle (Chelonia mydas)
which nest on the beaches here, are now
reported in much smaller numbers (per
sonal communication: settlers in the is
land) and coral reefs in the waters sur
rounding the island are being choked by
the excessive runoff from areas that have
been deforested [Soundarajan et al 1989].
Economic and Political Weekly
September 22, 2001
3647
by Kalpavriksh in 1998. This article is based on
a paper presented in the Asia Regional Workshop
on Addressing the Underlying causes of
Deforestation and Forest Degradation, held in
Java, Indonesia from December 4-6, 1998. It is
part of a larger environmental investigation carried
out in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands by
Kalpavriksh in 1998. Additional support for the
writing and the presentation of this paper came
from the United Nations Environment Programme
(UNEP), the Netherlands Development Agency
(NEDA) and the Netherlands Committee of the
International Union for the Conservation ofNatural
Resources (NC IUCN). The study was funded by
Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS), Society
for Andaman and Nicobar Ecology, Andaman and
Nicobar Islands Environmental Team. Officials of
the Andaman and Nicobar forest department and
Andaman and Nicobar Forest Plantation and
Development Corporation. I acknowledge with
thanks the help of Ashish Kothari, Sunita Rao,
Neema Pathak, Yashodhara Kundaji, Sushruti
Santhanam, Samir Acharya, Harry Andrews, Rom
Whitaker, Manish Chandi, Indraneil Das, Mia
Siscawati, Yoichi Kuroda, Simone Lovera, Miguel
Lovera.)
f Interim order of the Supreme Court of India on
the Protection of Forests (in the case TNG
Thirumalpakad vs'Union of India and others,
Writ Petition (Civil) No 202 of 1995).
SANE (nd) (Undated 2): ‘Dugong’, SANE
the plant Onge use which might have a cure
for cerebral malaria.
awareness series.
Sekhsaria, P (1998): ‘Jarawa Excursions’,
Kothari, A and N Pathak (1998): ‘Sharing Benefits
Frontline Magazine, Chennai.
of Wildlife Conservation with Local
Society for Andaman and Nicobar Ecology (nd)
Communities’, Economic and Political
(Undated 1): Development colonises the Onge,
Weekly, October 3, Mumbai.
Third World Network (TWN) Features and
McGirk, T( 1998): ‘Gene Piracy’, Time Magazine,
SANE.
November 9.
Soundarajan, R, R Whitaker, S Acharya (1989):
Pande, P, A Kothari, S Singh (1991): Directory
‘An Investigation into the Effects of Siltation,
of National Parks and Sanctuaries in the .
Logging, Blasting and other Human Derived
Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Indian Institute
Damage to Corals in the Andaman and Nicobar
of Public Administration, New Delhi.
Islands’.Indian National Trust for Art and Cul
Pandya, V (1993): Above the Forest: A Study of
tural Heritage (INTACH) - A and N Chapter.
Andamanese Ethnoanemology, Cosmology
Subramaniam, K N and K R Sasidharan (1993):
" and the Power of Ritual, Oxford University
‘Conservation of Biodiversity: Forest Trees’,
Press.
Paper contributed to Conservation of Biological
Paul, M (1992): Report on the Current Status
Diversity in India, Vol II, Indian Institute of
of the Negrito Tribes of the Andamans;
Public Administration, New Delhi.
JanviRas, Pune and Andaman and Nicobar
Tambe, S and S Acharya (1997): ‘Onge Wild Pig
Islands Environmental Team (ANET), Port
and Poachers’, A note submitted to the
Blair.
Lieutenant Governor . (LG) of the A and N
Report of Ministry of Rehabilitation, Gol (1965):
islands for the ‘Resource Augmentation of the
‘The Inter Departmental Team on Accelerated
Onges by the Captive Breeding of the Andaman
Development Programme for A and N Islands’,
Wild Pig’; Society for Andaman and Nicobar
Ministry of Rehabilitation, Government of
Ecology (SANE).
India,
Saldhana, C J (1989): Andaman, Nicobar and Whitaker, R (1985): ‘Endangered Andamans’,
World Wildlife Fund - India and MAB India,
Lakshadweep - An Environmental Impact
Department of Environment, Government of
Assessment, Oxford and IBH Publishing
India.
Company.
References
Andaman and Nicobar Administration (1957):
‘Protection of Aboriginal Tribes Regulation’,
1956, Andaman and Nicobar Islands
- (1995): Islandwise Statistical Outline, A and N
Administration.
ANFPDC (1976): Project report for ‘Logging,
Marketing, Forest Plantation and Natural
Regeneration in Little Andaman and North
Andaman Islands’, ANFPDC Ltd, Port Blair.
Awaradi, S A (1990): Master Plan (1990-2000)
for the Welfare of Primitive Tribes; Tribal
Welfare Department, A and N Administration
Basu, B K (1990): The Onge-The Anthropological
Survey of India (ASI) A and N Island Tribe
series; Seagull Books, Calcutta.
Bhatee, S S (1985-86): Cultivation of Red Oil
Palm in the Andamans, ANFPDC Ltd, Port
Blair.
Directorate of Industries, Andaman and Nicobar
Islands (1991): Facilities and Incentives for
the Development of Small-Scale Industries in
A and N Islands.
Dutta, T R, R Ahmed and S R Abbas (1983): ‘The
Discovery of a Plant in the Andaman Islands
that Tranquilises Apis Dorsata', Bee World
64 (4), pp 158-63.
Gadgil, M and R Guha (1992); This Fissured ■
Land, Oxford University Press, Delhi.
Kalam, M A (1990): ‘Development or Ethnocide?:
With Particular Reference to the Andaman
Archipelago’, Paper presented in the National
Seminar on Andaman and Nicobar Islands,
organised by the Society for Indian Ocean
Studies.
Kothari, A (1993); ‘Conservation of Biological
Diversity in India’, Indian Institute of Public
Administration, New Delhi (draft report).
- (1996): ‘Protect Onge Tribal Knowledge and
Rights’, a note on the patenting issue regarding
3648
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Economic and Political Weekly
September 22, 2001
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harmony.
,
he history of the Andaman
'iut like all histories, this one too,
and Nicobar islands is today
is incomplete. It is the story of the
a convenientiy comfort able
victors,
of the people who have
one: of the British and
today comedo dominate these
“Kalapam-; of World War I and the
islands. The vanquished as they say,
____
Japanese occupation, of Netaji
have no tales to tell; The history of
„ . , ,t
Subhash Chandra Bpse, Veer
Pankaj Seldisar a
Savarkar. the first hosting of the
these islands as we tell it, as we- are
told it is, is silent in many parts.
.
The author is au environmental activist Indian National Flag and of modern
There
are gaping holes that are conwith Kalpav iksh. Pune.
mini India where all communities
. veniently allowed to remain so.
WB. A
and religions live in peace and
This history says nothing of the
past, the present and the future of
•those people and communities that
originally belong to the islands. For
that matter, the islands belong to
'"v 8 < .8 8 8 8,
them, bitt ironically the people who
■A 8'88 - 8V /;. y 88'8/
write the history are we. the modern
84V/>/; 8’8 888'. /88..;/8/8 888 democratic Indian state. The people
in question tire the ancient tribal
g/8/8 communities that live here, particu
larly the negrito group of the
Andaman islands - the Great
Andamanese, the Onge', the Jarawa
and the Sentinelese. These are com
munities that have lived and flour
ished here for at least 20,000 years, . '
o but the end could well be round the
| corner, lust-a 150 years ago the pop- .
j ulation of the tribal communities
i was estimated to be at least 5,000..
Today however, while the total popu
lation of the Andaman and Nicobar
islands has risen to about four lakhs; ■'
the populat.on of all these four com
munities put together is not more
than a mere 500.
These communities'of thousands
s ?!’■
of individuals with a living lineage
Mt: ‘ '
going back o 20.000 years have
been brought to this sorry state in a
mere 150 years. It definitely began
with the British and their policies.
And was continued with clinical effi
ciency (sic) by modern independent
India.
Independent India was only about
a
couple
of decades old. a young
folio
L
I
I
H
*
■I
Sr w
~jB|
-r
ih 11
I
IStBS's
adivasi.
40
Ijitlyaopo
■ .
«■
Btewl-l
. '....J..'.;
■
" I ■
■ ■ w
One of the: subtie but classic exam
ples is the Hinduisatidijpf
Hinduisation^f the name
pies
<Andaman
.
. itself
. and
. the attempt
. . . . . to
pass it off as the only truth. The
standard and universal answer to
the question of its origin is the well
S known Hindu god Hanuman. That
the state too conveniently believes
J this is evident from the fact this is
the story that goes out in the sound
and light show that plays every
thriving democracy as would have
evening at the Cellular Jail in Port
been called then. But this vibrant
Blair. No one is bothered that there
democracy was then already set on
are many other explanations why
course to becoming a coloniser itself, the Andamans is called so.
From colony of the British to
Researches On Ptolemy's Geography ()j
coloniser of the Andaman islands
Eastern Asia,'' a book written by
(and many othei;. places too)/the /
Colonel GF Gerini in 1909 makes
step for India was an amazingly easy incredible reading in this context, , v
one, almost, it would seem, a nat
but obviously not many have bothj
ural one! In the late.. Sixties an offi.
ered to read it. It is hardly surprising
cial plan of the Government of India then that we care even less to. know ;to “colonise” (and this was the term.
term ■ what the tribals
• • call’ these
*
-island^
used) the Andaman and Nicobar
The repercussions of this dombdomi-islands was firmly in place.
nant mindset is all too evident when
The forests were “wastelands” that one looks at what is happening to. >
needed to fye
be tamed, Settled
settled and
the forests and the tribal communi
developed. It Aid not matter that
ties. The Great Andamanese have
been learnt'. May be they are being
these forests were the home of a
been wiped out as viable community.
myriad plants and animals that had
This community which had an estfc/ deliberately ignored. It could well be
worth our while to get these tribals
evolved over aeons. It did not matter mated 3.000 members about a 150
*out of our way .Only then can the
that ancient tribal, peoples were
years ago, is today left with 'dnTy/l&A
already living here for centuries, nei- about 30. The Onges of :the isianduf precious tropical hardwoods that
ther that they were physically and
-Little Andaman (thev call it BgU- / - stand in their forests and the very
spiritually sustained by these forests, belong) today number only W0. The- /lands that these forests stand be put
to •‘productive” use. Little Andaman
The idea that forests could
coufd mean
1,901 census estimated it to be 601.
>
case. Thousands of setmore than just the timber the trees , Tili a couple of years ago the Jarawa is a classic rt-i-SirJonrl
IfVrlia r*7Arp>
provided had not even taken'seed in w5re extremely hostile to the outside
■
f
brought
and
settled
here
and the
tbA
Thp
u
mi
•
,
___
________
J
A
1
the national consciousness. The.
world. This hostility and seU-main- '
forests
were
opened
up
for
logging in
?<ehruvian dream of massive indjjscained wolahon in the impenetrable
the
early
Seventies
as
part
of the
trialisation was still calling and. the
rainforests of those islahfls, had ^y;»^
“
colonisation
”
plan.
An
Onge
tribal
rich evergreen forests of the islands
ensured that their community. cuL ‘
reserve: was created, but for more
promised ebundant timber to fuel it,
tm-g and forest home remained
intact and unharmed; It was howbrought
brought-mto
into the Indian mainstream. eVer
ever>. nev
never
er our intention to let them-.f
them. ’ < been violated for limber .extraction.
ThAro was
urOc no.
nn question nf
There
of f^ine
trying tn
to
be. The Andaman’Trunk abad
Road was
was . ‘' „ The attitude of the settlers who
today live bn the land that belongs
understand, forget about asking
constructed
through
the
heart
of
toe
constructed through the heart of the
the od/ ’'ve 011 tf e la“d
to the Onge h^Thev
only reflects thattoe
of *
the
what was it that the Onge, the
very
forests
the
Jarawa
call
home.
It
,
very forests the Jarawa call home.1 Jt ■ powers that be. They ridicule the
Andamanese or the JaraWa wanted
destroyed
precious
forests
and
;
Vk-es
destroyed precious forests and /
g&ghi in various developments
as Mndv"ised iunElees' Vices
themselves.
. :
bought
developments that
that •
Tribal cultures the world over are‘
are
proving
£<)
be
disastrous
for
the,
'
X
are proving to be disastrous for the
intricately linked with the forests.
Jarawa. As a result of a combinatiorrcombination
to exploit the resources from the
they live in; The story or shpuld we
of SUqh factors, ^nostju# known of
forests. Poaching and encroachment •
call
:all it the “history”’ of modern
moderh civilFcivili- under
understood,
stood, Tte
the Jarawas recent^
recently ■ /
inside the Onge reserve too, are ever
r»f tVvotcimTVirt
1 . 3 ,1
i._ .bilk.____ J nAl-.L-j.'
sation is largely one of the taming
shed their hostility and have begun
on the increase.
and the destruction of the great
t0
come
out
from
their
forests
“
volto come out from their forests “vol--: .
In the early Sixties, the Onge were
forests of the world and the innu; untarily.
wntarilv”” ItIt could
rmild well
w«ll be
he. the
the first
first/
the
sole Inhabitants of Little
. merable tribal communities that
step
step on
on the
the route
route that
that ^e
the Great
Great . /
Andaman (Egu belong). Today, for
UWtherein. The Andaman Islands
Andamanese and' the
Onge
were
:
1
'
'ere.'
each Onfee, there are at least 120
is a good example. By various
forced to take many decades ago. ,
outsiders here and (his imbalance is
means, both intended and uninAnnhilation!
huge ftnidemtc
epidemic of
AnnhilAiinn? A hn<»»
. rapidly increasing. What more needs
tended, the tribal communities have me
asles
recently
affected
the
Jarawa
measles recently affected the Jarawa
to be said?
been constantly alienated from their an(j a number of them are undergoforest& tbeir lands and their -veby
ing treatment for tuberculosis.
tuberculosis,
**<*-*z<folio
cosmos that is built around all these. ■ , The.«■ • lessons of history-.ti.:have
not
I
I
r .
w,«„e„,.k.„gsx
'Wilk..
Ao;'/'
adivasip ■
4.1
July 2000
5
■■
■
-- -------------------------------------------------------
I 'W*®
PANKAJ SEKHSARiA
Logging off, for now
The curbs imposed by the Supreme Court on the felling of naturally grown trees and other
forestry-related activities in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, come at a critical juncture for moves
to conserve biodiversity and protect the interests of the archipelago and its communities.
even undocumented, species of flora and
fauna. It is, however, the classical “missing
that has
Forestry (in the Andaman islands) is a com- the forests for the wood” syndrome
.
paratively new departmentfor utilising con- driven developmental policies in the
vict labour and is now the chief source of islands forjDver acentury. The British first
set up
here in 1883.
revenue in cash.
t the Forest Department
.
-Lt. Col. Richard C. Temple, Chief For a region so rich
f ’ in forests, its major
Commissioner of the Andaman and responsibility, expectedly,, was timber
Nicobar islands, extraction. This has continued unabated
in the Census of India, 1901. ever since, but now a change has been
forced. The October 10,2001 order of the
The cutting ofnaturally grown trees in any Supreme Court marks this significant mile(on)going projects (in the Andaman and stone in the history of these unique islands.
'
Forestry operations clearly inflicted
Nicobar islands)... exceptplantation
wood' ‘is
widescale damage to the island’s forests,
prohibited.
The Supreme Court of India,
-The
order dated October 10, 2001. (Top) A few members of the Jarawa
tribal community in South and Middle
npHE Andaman and Nicobar Islands are Andaman islands. The biggest
I clothed in some of the finest tropical beneficiaries of the stoppage of timber
evergreen forests in the world and are home extraction operations in the islands will
to a large number of rare and endangered, be their six indigenous communities.
PANKAJ SEKHSARIA
FRONTLINE, JANUARY 18, 2002
and the biggest losers have been the indige
nous communities that have lived and
flourished there for thousands of years.
Today, there are six indigenous communi
ties that live in these Islands. The Nicobari
and the Shompen, of Mongoloid origin,
inhabit the Nicobar group of islands.
Forestry operations in the Nicobars have
been limited as commercial extraction of
timber did not arrive in these islands. But
the four tribal communities ofNegrito ori
gin that live in the forests of the Andaman
group of islands have been the hardest hit
by the forestry operations.
The Great Andamanese, who num
bered more than 3,000 around the time the
operations began, have been virtually
wiped out and today just about 30 indi
viduals survive on Strait island. The Onge
of Litde Andaman have suffered a fate that
is only marginally better. Timber extrac
tion started here in the 1970s. Although
65
24
Department of Environment, Govern
I ment of India. Authors S.C. Nair and
w Shanthi Nair had argued that the basic
assumption underlying the Andaman
Canopy Lifting Shelterwood System
(which the Forest Department has been
following as a scientific system of forestry)
was wrong. This forestry system, they
pointed out, was leading to a preponder
3;;
ance of deciduous elements in the ever
green system that would eventually destroy
the whole island ecosystem.
The Island Development Authority
(IDA) too, in its fifth meeting held in 1989
under the chairmanship of Prime Minister
Rajiv Gandhi, resolved that logging had to
be phased out over the next few years. As a
matter of feet, sensitive officials in the
Forest Department have argued all along
that the forestry operations are not in the
best interests of the islands. However, the
Forest Department and the local adminis
tration continued with large-scale timber
extraction. As far as the petition in the High
Court was concerned, they did what gov
Timber extraction on Havelock island. Often, the felled timber is left to rot
ernment institutions are best at. They
‘/
Based on these findings, three non- stonewalled it. All that was stated in the
their population count has remained steady
’ ion was denied. It was further
at around a hundred individuals since diar governmental organisations - the environ- writ petitii
time, the fabric of their life and society has mental action group, Kalpavriksh, the Port argued before the Judges that as the peti.
for Andaman and tion had invoked an order from the
been tattered. The Jarawas of South and Blair-based Society
Nicobar
Ecology
(SANE)
and the Supreme Court the matter could only be
Middle Andaman are better off still,
because until recently they were extremely Mumbai-based Bombay Natural History/ argued there. The High Court agreed, and
hostile to the outside world and defended Society (BNHS) - filed a writ petition the petitioners were forced to approach the
~
‘ ‘1999 through
’
'i an inter
their forests and way of life aggressively, before the Calcutta High Court, Port Blair Supreme Court
in
However, this is beginning to change and Circuit Bench seeking an end to all logging vention application filed as T.N.
Godavarman Thirumulpadvs The Union of
it is feared that they too will go the way of operations in Litde Andaman.
Additional proof of the impact of the India and others (Writ Petition 202 (Civil)
the Great Andamanese and the Onge. The
Sentinelese live on the
t isolated 100-sq km forestry operations had been put together of 1995).
For over two years nothing happened
Nonh Sentinel island. They remain vio by the petitioners. These came from varilently hostile and therefore stand die best ous sources, some relating to Litde as far as the courts (both the High Court
Andaman in particular and others to the and the Supreme Court) were concerned.
chance of surviving as an independent
in<
islands in general. For Little Andaman, this On the islands too things went back to norhuman community for some more time.
The Onge and the state of their forest included a 1989 study on corals by the mal after the initial shake-up after the hearhome figured in the Supreme Court’’s Andaman and Nicobar Chapter of the ings in the High Court. The matter finally
order. Investigations in early 1998 had Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural came up for hearing on October 10 in the
revealed serious violations of their rights Heritage (INTACH). The study showed Supreme Court and in a significant order,
and illegal extraction of timber from the that the percentage ofdead/coral was direct- - a Bench comprising Justices B.N. Kirpal,
forests of Little Andaman. Ironically, the ly related to the level of logging and soil Santosh Hegde and Ashok Bhan stayed the
In felling of naturally grown trees in the entire
agency responsible in this case was the erosion that was taking place on land.
1
Andaman and Nicobar Forest Plantation the
the main jetty and the area of the Andaman and Nicobar islands,
the sea
sea adjoining
at
and Development Corporation, which had timber depot of the island, the relative
HrHAT the timber extraction operations
been extracting timber since 1977. The abundance of live coral was only about 11
1 involves crores of rupees annually is
main forms of violation included the per cent.
common
knowledge. There have also been
Other studies showed that endangered
extraction of timber from within the
fauna
like
the
saltwater
crocodile
and
the
allegations
that many top forest officers and
boundary of the Onge tribal reserve, excessive removal of timber from the area where endemic Andaman wild pig were being administrators have made a lot of money
logging was legally permitted and contin- affected owing to logging. The Onge, who through illegal timber extraction and transued logging in the absence of a working critically depend on the wild pig, had port operations. Concrete proofof this was
plan as required by the Forest Conservation reported the same and also asked for the unearthed in February 2000, even as the
Act (FCA), 1980, and an interim order of stoppage of logging activities on ‘their’ issue of illegal logging was pending before
the Supreme Court dated December 12, island. The most damning critique of the Supreme Court. The matter involved
theissue
issueof
ofunnumbered
unnumberedtransit
transitpasses
passesfor
for
1996 in the Godavarman case {Frontline, forestry operations on the islands as a whole the
May 7, 1999).
was contained in a 1983 report from the the transport of nearly 400 cubic metres of
I
66
FRONTLINE, JANUARY 18, 2002
' 'T'
W-
ij
<
The court order comes at a signiftimber from Mayabundar in North
?
icant
juncture in the context of the
Andaman to Chennai and even
«
ongoing
preparation of the National
though Bishnu Pada Ray, Member of
i Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan.
Parliament from the islands, wrote to
i Coordinated on the islands by the
the Chief Vigilance Commissioner
I
Andaman and Nicobar Island
demanding a probe, nothing has come
Environmental Team (ANET), the
ofit yet. At a conservative estimate, the
draft plan was released recently. It
total consignment was worth over
points out that the biggest issue con
Rs.27 lakhs and it is being described
fronting the islands today is the rapid
as only the tip of the iceberg.
population growth as a result of largeSignificandy, the demand for tim
scale migration from mainland India.
ber from industries on the islands has
The present estimated population of
been falling steadily over the last few
the islands is 500,000. If one were to
years. A look at the figures show that
consider just the availability of drink
while 47,000 cu m was legally logged
ing water there, it will become clear
in 1999-2000, the figure fell to 40,067
that the carrying capacity ofthe islands
cu m in 2000-2001. Importandy, an
has been long exceeded.
increasingly large quantity of the tim
Agricultural yields in the islands
ber was not being lifted by the indus
|
have
fallen and evidence from other
tries that it was meant for. In
| tropical forest regions of the world
1999-2000,25 per cent of the timber
I shows that these soils are not conlogged was not lifted, while in 2000|
ducive to agricultural activities. A hor
2001 nearly 42 per cent remained in
ticulture-based system might have
the depots of the Forest Department.
some answers. Tourism on the islands
A
view
of
the
Jarawa
reserve
in
South
Andaman
The fact that this reality was not taken
is growing rapidly and is being seen as
into account while setting extraction island. The forests, rich in animal and plant
the next big revenue earner. However,
targets for the following year is a clear species, are the biggest wealth of the islands.
the draft plan identifies tourism as a
indication that there are other forces
cause
for concern, unless steps are taken to
tional.
The
net
result
was
that
in
2000at play.
Following the October 10 order, the 2001 only 24,000 cu m of timber was ensure that it is environment-friendly.
There are other issues also on the
matter came up for hearing again before a picked
j' ’ ' up. for use when the total quantity
island. There is large-scale encroachment
______
____
y“/~0cum.
Bench comprising Justices B.N. Kirpal, that .'had
been cut
was over
40,000
1991..Census figures
K.G. Balakrishnan and Arijit Pasayat on
.The
.......
V ’had put the of the forests. The mangrove cover has fallxNovember
-w.^xxxzwx 23. In addition to the stay on
— total1 number
- of workers in the islands at en substantially over the last few decades
felling of naturally grown trees, the Bench about 91,000 individuals. Those involved and coral reefs have been impacted by land
L “ activities such as logging, agriculture
directed that, “no sawmill, plywood or in forestry (including activities such as based
and pesticide use. All this is critically linked
factory
shall
utilise
any
naturally
planting,
replanting
and
conservation
veneer I
grown trees without further orders from work) was estimated at around 10 per cent to the precious biodiversity ofthese islands,
this court”. The court appointed an expert of the islands’ total workforce. Latest fig on which the lives and livelihood of their
commission under Professor Shekhar ures of the operational industries in the people depend.
The biodiversity strategy and action
Singh of the New Delhi-based Indian islands, their capacities, and people
Institute of Public Administration (IIPA). employed are reportedly being put togeth- plan (BSAP) has the potential to create a
broad framework in which the future ofthe
’
‘ by
t
The commission was asked to look into the er by the administration as <demanded
islands can be discussed, debated and
state of the forests and other related mat the court.
At the same time, there is another large planned. The exercise of drafting it allows
ters on the islands.
There has been some degree of resent- body of opinion that sees in these devel- for extensive multi-stake holder participament on the islands over the complete stop- opments a new chapter for the islands and tion. This has not been exploited to its
page
page of forestry-related activities, the islanders. That forestry could not have fullest potential, with the government
particularly because of the implications on gone on forever is well known and the chai- departments in particular lagging behind,
the livelihoods of those involved. Figures lenee
lengenow
nowlies
liesin
infinding
findingcreative
creativeand
andmore
more Perhaps
Perhaps the
the court
court order
order will
will now lead to
some action here as well.
----’—
for 1997-98 show that there were 35 tim sustainable solutions. There are a inumber
In many ways, the mandate of the
ber-based industries on the islands. These of areas of work that are direcdy related to
included three private plywood mills, two the forests and that have the potential to BSAP for the islands and the mandate
’ie
government saw mills, 19 private saw mills provide employment to a large number of before the commission appointed by the
and 11 match/pencil and composite units. people. This
’ includes water and soil con- court overlap neady. There are many burn
The three plywood mills employed an esti- servation activities, social forestry and ing issues that have to be dealt with if the
mated 3,000 individuals and used a large regenerating degraded forest lands, agro future of the islands is to be secured.
chunk (nearly 65 per cent) of the timber forestry and a better level of wildlife con- Logging,
„ though critical, is only one of
that was cut on the islands. Over the last servation and protection work. Fisheries them. The challenge now is to find a ereyear or so, two of these big mills, employ- have great potential, thanks to the fish-rich ative way forward. B
ing an estimated 2,000 persons, shut down seas that surround the islands. An effort
In association with the Leadership in
citing financial and administrative reasons. needs to be made towards sustained and
Environment and Development
Other smaller units too have not been ftinc- sustainable utilisation of these resources.
(LEAD) Programme
FRONTLINE, JANUARY 18, 2002
67
THE NEW MILLENIUM TAMASHA
A tourism promotion event planned on remote Katchal, in the Nicobar islands to herald the
millenium led environmentalists to launch a sustained campaign against it.
PANKAJ SEKHSARIA reports on how a potentially ruinous event was scaled down
The Royal Greenwich Observatory had announced
a few years ago that the first sunrise of the new
millenium would be visible from the island of
Katchal in the Nicobar group of islands in the Bay
of Bengal. The last few months saw the tourism
industry and the A&N administration in a tizzy as
they went about planning and advertising a huge
millenium tamasha here. It was suggested that the
tiny and remote island of Katchal is the only place
in the world where the first sunrise will be visible
and efforts were being made to get more, than
20,000 tourists (largely foreigners) to Katchal for
the occasion.
It appeared to be the perfect situation for a
huge tourism event - an exotic, remote island, an
occasion that will never come again and a
government all willing to lay out the red carpet.
However there were serious flaws and the entire
event came to seriously questioned and opposed by
a number of environmental groups from across the
country. The opposition was strong and sustained
and eventually the administration had to respond.
In a senior secretary level meeting held in Port
Blair in early August, a decision was taken to scale
down the plan substantially. It was a small but
encouraging victory that could well have saved the
tribals and the fragile environment of the island of
Katchal, from certain ruination.
The campaign that was co-ordinated by
the Port Blair based Society for Andaman and
Nicobar Ecology (SANE) was based on detailed
research and solid facts. The very fact that Katchal
was being promoted as the only place where the
first sunrise of the new millenium will be visible
was incorrect. A clarification issued by experts of
the internationally renowned, Pune based Inter
University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics
(IUCCA) categorically asserted that these claims
were preposterous and that there were at least two
falsehoods that were being perpetrated - one that
the new millenium begins on January 1, 2000. and
the other that Katchal is the only place where this
will be visible.
Experts all over the world, and this
includes the US Naval Observatories, the National
Bureau of Standards and Technology, US and the
Royal Greenwich Observatory, England (before its
demise in 1998) have accepted and adopted
January 1, 2001 as the beginning of the new
The Hindu Sunday Magazine, September 19,1999
millenium. The explanation for this is rather
simple. There was no zero year because we
actually began this calendar with Year 1.
Accordingly, the first year was completed at the
end of year 1, the first century at the end of year
100, the first millenium at the end of year 1000 AD
and this, the second millenium at the end of year
2000. January 1, 2000 is thus only the first day of
the last year of this millenium and not the
beginning of the new one. The Y2K problem
seemed, to have struck here as well, but in an
entirely different way.
The second issue was of the site where
this first sunrise would be visible. From a technical
point of view the issue of the first sunrise is not as
simple as it initially seems. The US Naval
Observatory in its document titled First Sunrise of
the New Millenium' discusses some of these issues
in detail.... 'it is important to realise that on any
January 1, the sun is continuosly above, the horizon
across the most of Antarctica'. So, very simply
put, the place where the first sunrise of the new
millenium will be seen is Antarctica. However
beyond this, the questions become more
involved......... Does the new day begin at local
midnight, in the time defined by the local
jurisdiction? Or does it begin at midnight on the
meridian of Greenwich in England, which is the
zero longitude meridian, i.e. 0 hours GMT also
known as 0 h UT.
Significantly, the paper states that at 0
hours UT, which is generally taken to be the start
of a new day, the sun is rising simultaneously
along an arc that runs 650 kms east of Kerguelen
island in the Indian ocean to about 640 kms east of
Amsterdam island, through the Nicobar islands, up
along the Burma Thailand border, through China,
along the China - Outer Mongolia border, along the
China-Russia border, through Siberia, and out into
the Arctic ocean just north of the Poluostrov
peninsula. All places along this line will experience
sunrise simultaneously at 0 hrs UT on 2000 or
2001 or any other year. There is simply no unique
'first sunrise' location.
The other interesting dimension is that the
time of the sunrise is always calculated for sea
level. This means that if you go higher, the sunrise
is seen earlier. For example if one was to move
1000 m above sea level, the sunrise would be
i
visible 4 minutes and 3.8 seconds earlier than the
person at sea level at the same point. Theoretically
this also means that if a person is roughly 100 kms
west of Katchal but 1000 m above sea level he/she
will see this sunrise at about the same time as an
observer at Katchal who will be at sea level. The
basic argument is that there is nothing
spectacularly unique about the sunrise at Katchal.
Various permutations and combinations would give
the same results.
The arguments over the timing of the new
millenium the time of the sunrise and the exact
location could well have been discarded as
academic ones. The logic of raising these points
could have also been questioned if this unique
oppurtunity would been beneficial to all. But that
was precisely the point. There were far greater and
serious issues involved in allowing this incorrectly
nomenclatured event on the tiny island of Katchal
argues Samir Acharya of SANE, who was the first
to realise the problems with an event of such a
nature
The resident population of Katchal is only
12,000, and nearly 4,000 of these are the Nicobari
tribals. The impact of suddenly inducting an
additional 20,000 outsiders on this island for a day
or two can well be imagined. Acharya points out
that this could create a huge health hazard. 20,000
people means that a minimum 20,000 to 30,000
kgs of human excreta and a few lakh litres of liquid
waste will be added to the local environment and
this will be in addition to unknown quantities of
other solid waste like paper and plastic to name the
common ones. It is well known that most diseases
are spread primarily through faecal contamination
of water bodies, and there is no guaranteeing that
this would not happen here.
There is another important aspect that was
also being ignored. Katchal is the traditional home
of the Nicobari tribals. It was designated a tribal
reserve under the Andaman and Nicobar Islands
Protection of Aboriginal Tribes (ANPATR) -1957
and special permissions have to be obtained if
outsiders want to visit here.
Additionally, the entire group of Nicobar
islands has always been considered a sensitive area
and the entry of foreigners is strictly prohibited. In
fact, in the last thirty years, except for one single
occasion not a single tribal pass has been issued to
any foreigner to visit the Nicobars. The only
exception was the permission given to Dr. Rene
Dekkar who was specially invited by the Ministry
of Environment and Forests (MoEF) of the
Government of India to study the endangered bird,
the megapode that is found in these islands.
The Hindu Sunday Magazine, September 19,1999
It is significant, that in the past, as
eminent a person as the legendary Captain
Cousteau (of Calypso fame), who wanted to study
corals off Nicobars was denied permission.
Renowned institutions like Cambridge University,
London and the Vokkenmuseum (Museum of
Anthropology), Berlin too had their requests to
study the wild boar and the famous pottery of
Chowra island turned down. Why then questioned
Acharya, was the Andaman administration taking
the retrograde step of permitting 20,000 tourists of
unknown vintage to visit Katchal to celebrate the
non event of a pseudo-millenium sunrise? This is
the ultimate degenerate step that the government
can take, he says.
Besides there are other fears too. The
Andaman and Nicobar islands are unsurpassed for
their botanical wealth and the ethno medical
knowledge of the tribals that live here is
astounding The possibility cannot be ruled out that
the event could become a convenient entry point
for bio prospectors and pharmaceutical
multinationals who are always looking for newer,
virgin areas to explore. Prevention and even a little
over cautiousness is certainly a far better option
than any corrective action that may be suggested in
the future.
A lot of resource and public money was
being spent for this event. Recently a new circuit
house, which violated the Coastal Regulation Zone
(CRZ). was inaugurated on the island. New work
was also being undertaken for the laying of roads
and pipelines and the construction of a power
generating station.
For the present however brakes have been
put on. Significantly however, the event has not
been called off. The decision taken was that the
number of tourists will be scaled down from
20,000 to only 2,000. No foreigners will be
allowed to land on Katchal or any other island in
the Nicobars but those interested in viewing the
sunrise could view it from ships that bring them
there. It has also been decided that a crew of
Doordarshan will be allowed to land on Katchal
and record the sunrise for posterity.
The only problem, and surprisingly
nobody seems to reahse it, is that this is the wrong
sunrise!!!
2
CONSERVATION ISSUES
'1
Lopsided development policies threaten the spi
of rare species of sea turtles in the Andaman an@gA
Nicobar Islands. Human communities too are paying^
a heavy price for such short-sightecfness.
Text and pictures:
RANKAJ SEKHSARIA
/~\NE of the most eagerly awaited
kJ events in the wildlife calendar of the
country is the mass nesting of tens of thou
sands of Olive Ridley sea turtles on the
Orissa coast. This spectacular event,
which has become immensely popu
lar, draws a lot of media attention.
However, in other parts of India,
there are several nesting grounds •.
of quite a few other turde species j
that do not quite draw the attention they deserve. Perhaps the-.
ofthese"“ neglectmost jsignificant
‘
J
ed” areas are the remote islands of • '
the Andaman and Nicobar in the
Bay of Bengal.
The Orissa coast may be
'■
unmatched for the sheer numbers
of nesting Olive Ridleys, but the
O|i|
66
as
-1- nesting
1-r in the oceans of the world are
unique features ~
of the turtle
grounds in the Andaman and Nicobar endangered in the Red Data Book of the
Union
for
the
Islands are the many species ofturtles that International
nest there and the spectacular beauty of Conservation of Nature and Natural
Resources (IUCN). The Andaman and
the beaches and the Islands themselves.
Nicobar
Islands are considered the best
All eight species of sea turtles found
nesting sites in India for three of these
species: the giant leatherback
(Dermochelys coriaced), the green
sea turtle (Chelonia mydas), and
the hawksbill {Eretmochelys
imhricatd). Additionally, the
Olive Ridley sea turtle
■
*' J ‘
(Lepdochelys olivaced) also
-Ail
nests there in substantial num
F
■
bers.
Perhaps the most compreife hensive study of turtles in the
■A |
Islands is “The Status and
P
Ecology of Sea Turtles in the
tesfw
i-1
■---t'A
A green sea turtle nesting on
South Sentinel Island.
FRONTLINE, MAY 26, 2000
3,
dwindling rapidly owing to a variety of
factors: increased pollution of the ocean
waters, deaths caused by turtles being
ensnared in fishing nets, continued hunt
ing of turtles for meat, destruction of tur
tle nests, and large-scale destruction of
beaches where turtles nest.
One of the most destructive influ
ences are dogs, which were first brought
to the Islands around 1860 by the British
and which are now to be seen in many
parts of the Islands. Dogs dig up turtle
nests and destroy the eggs. They pick up
turtle hatchlings as they head back to the
sea after hatching; the canines have also
been seen to harass the nesting adults,
causing them extreme stress and on many
occasions even leading to the abandon
ment of the nests. The problem, report
ed from all over the Islands, is reaching
serious proportions.
The human population in the Islands
too has increased rapidly in the last few
decades - from 50,000 in 1950 to an esti
mated four lakh today - owing to large-
scale immigration from mainland India.
The expansion of human settlements has
reduced and even eliminated space for
nesting at several locations. Additionally,
it has resulted in large-scale mining ofsand
from the beaches for use in the construc
tion industry. Houses were traditionally
built with timber, but residents of the
Islands now opt for concrete structures,
and the beaches are the only source ofsand.
Despite the fact that beach sand, which is
very fine and has a high salt content, is
unsuitable for use in construction and
structures built with it have to undergo
major repairs within a decade, it contin
ues to be used. In 1995-96 about 70,000
to 80,000 cubic metres ofsand was mined;
the figures for 1997-98 were estimated to
be about 1,57,000 cu.m. As a result, the
beaches, many ofwhich are important tur
tle nesting sites, have been destroyed.
A visit to the beaches around Port
Blair offers telling evidence oferosion and
ingress by the sea. Narrow strips of sand
are all that remain of the beach, and sev-
A beach on South Sentinel Island. The unique features of the turtle nesting
grounds in the Andaman and Nicobar islands are the several species of turtles
that nest there and the scenic beauty of the beaches. (Below) A green sea turtle
heads back to sea after laying eggs.
Andaman and Nicobar Islands” by Satish
Bhaskar of the Madras Crocodile Bank
Trust (MCBT), published in 1993.
Bhaskar’s study, conducted over a decade
and a half, has interesting and critical
information on the turtles in the Islands.
In the Islands, tribal populations such
as the Great Andamanese, the Onge and
the Nicobarese have traditionally hunted
turtles. The small numbers of these trib
al people and the fact that they resorted
only to subsistence-level hunting, how
ever, meant that the turtle species were
not threatened. In fact, experts believe
that the existence of tribal reserves, into
which the entry of non-tribal people is
restricted, has saved several species of sea
turtles from extinction. For instance, the
only known nesting sites of the
leatherback turtle are on uninhabited
Islands or in tribal reserves.
However, there are indications that
the turtle population in the Islands is
FRONTLINE, MAY 26, 2000
r.
h dead hawksblll turtle, about a year old. Turtles that are ensnared In trawling nets are killed for their meat. (Below) An Olive
Ridley, on Its back, left to die In the mangroves In Wandoor, less than an hour’s drive from Port Blair.
eral trees lie toppled over the
shore. The scene is much the
same in the beaches at Corbyn’s
Cove,
Wandoor
and
Chidiyatapu, all of which are
less than an hour’s drive from
Port Blair. In these ravaged
sites, there is no more sand to
be mined, and the operations
have moved farther afield to
more remote beaches.
In the tiny settlement of
Shoal Bay 19 (SB 19), about 20
km north of Port Blair, sand
mining over the last decade has
systematically destroyed the
beach, which was a turtle nest
ing site. Seawater now moves
further into the settlement areas
and has caused extensive dam
age to the paddy crop. In a few
other areas, the destruction of
the beaches has led to increased
erosion and ruined plantation
crops such as coconut and areca;
roads have been washed away in
some places.
Such destruction of beach
es poses a serious threat to tur
tles in the Islands. The beaches
at Corbyn’s Cove, Wandoor,
teisir - - —
Chidiyatapu and SB 19 were
important turtle nesting sites.
Rev. Corbyn (after whom the
beach is named) observed in
1860 that there was “a large
sandy beach” at the site; today,
Corbyn’s Cove is promoted as
a tourist spot, and there is little
of that beach or the turtle nest
ing habitat there.
The case of the Cuthbert
Bay turtle sanctuary in Middle
Andaman, one of the more
important turtle nesting sites, is
somewhat ironic. On the one
hand, it is promoted as a tourist
destination for its scenic beau
ty and its nesting turtles. On the
other hand, a part of this beach
has been handed over to con
tractors for sand mining, which
affects the turtles and defeats
the very purpose ofestablishing
the sanctuary and promoting
tourism. The establishment of
a fishermen’s colony here and
the proliferation of dogs have
added to the problem.
The beach at Wandoor, on
the boundary ofwhat is now the
Mahatma Gandhi Marine
Soon after hatching, a young Olive Ridley ventures out to sea, at the Cuthbert Bay turtle sanctuary in the Middle Andaman,
an important nesting site. (Below) A fallen mahua tree at Chidiyatapu, which was once a nesting site. Mining of beach sand
for use in the construction industry has destroyed beaches which served as nesting sites.
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Sea turtle species
to 150 kg. The hatchling is dark blue-black in colour; the
adults are olive, green or brown above with spots or blotch
es or streaks of brown or black. The female is usually more
richly pigmented than the male. The adult turtle is herbivo
PANKAJ SEKHSARIA
rous and feeds on marine algae and sea grasses.
Leatherback turtle: The largest of the sea turtles may grow
A /TARINE TURTLE: Marine turtles lead a completely
IVJL aquatic existence. The female comes ashore to lay eggs, up to two metres in length and weigh up to 600 leg. They live
but marine turtles otherwise do not come ashore once they mainly on jellyfish and are believed to be deep-sea feeders.
Olive Ridley. Attains a carapace length of about a metre.
reach the sea from the sands under which they hatched out.
They have paddle-shaped limbs. The longer front limbs are The adult turtle is olive brown above and yellowish below
used for swimming and are moved through water in much and is omnivorous. It is widely distributed in the tropics of
the same way that birds flap their wings in order to fly. The the Indo-Pacific and the East Atlantic, and is the most com
head and limbs cannot be retracted into the shell. Marine mon species of turtle found along Indian coasts.
Hawksbill turtle: Grows up to about a metre and is
turtles may be herbivorous, carnivorous or omnivo
distinguished by the strongly overlapping
rous. They are found mainly in tropical
shields of the carapace. The adult is
climes but some species occasionally
marble yellow and dark brown in
">
M J<%.i
enter temperate seas. A Tamil lit
colour. It is omnivorous, but is
erary work from the 4th cen
largely inclined to be carnivtury has recorded the
fe:...
orous, feeding on sponges,
practice of turtles coming
other invertebrates and
ashore to bury their eggs
A
fish. Its flesh is said to be
under the sea sands.
poisonous in certain sea
Green sea turtle:
sons; instances of death
Adults may attain a cara
from eating turtle flesh are
pace length of over a
attributed to this species.
metre and a weight of up
filii
EMI
A young giant leatherback
turtle heads for the sea after
hatching at South Bay on the
Great Nicobar Island.
turtles had drowned after being ensnared
in trawling nets. The fat, meat and carti
lage of the green sea turtle are used to
maice soup and other delicacies; its flip
pers are hacked to make shoes for pro
tection against sharp coral. Parts of the
hawksbill turtle are used to make turtle
shell products such as combs, cigar cases,
boxes and various ornaments; Urge numbers of these species continue to be
slaughtered for these purposes.
In Tamil Nadu, the carapace of the
giant leatherback is used to extract oil that
is applied on wooden boats to prevent
leaks. The oil is also believed to have med
icinal properties, principally in the cure
A HUGE trade in turtle eggs and meat of asthma.
The threat to the turtles from all these
JJLcontinues across the world, and the
fishing and trawling industry too has factors must be dealt with urgently.
taken a heavy toll. Among the worst suf- Solutions are needed’ on many fronts: an
alternative medium for construction must
ferers have been Olive Ridleys.
Dr. Indraneil Das, Chairperson of be conceived; the dog menace must be
the South Asian Reptile and Amphibian controlled; and measures must be initiat
Specialist Group of the IUCN, estimates ed to prevent the killing of turtles by the
that until a few years ago 30,000 Olive islanders,particularlythefisherfolk.There
Ridleys were consumed annually in the have in recent times been some positive
State of Kerala alone. More recently, in moves in this direction. The Andaman
1998, an equal number of dead Ridleys Public Works Division, the largest conwere washed on to the Orissa coast; the sumer of beach sand, and the Tourism
National Park, was heavily mined for sand
15-20 years ago. Even the mangroves that
protected the land from sea erosion v/ere
Indiscriminately destroyed. Today there is
little that remains of the beach. Sea erosion
has increased and now threatens the road
that runs along the waterfront. This is a
common enough experience in the Islands,
and so is the response: the people recently
constructed a “sea-retaining wall” to check
the erosion - a function that was hitherto
provided for free by the beach sand and the
mangroves. Ironically, this wall too is aeonCrete structure, built using sand mined
from some other beach nearby.
70
f.
■
(Based on information drawn mainly
from The Book of Indian Reptiles by
J. C Daniel, published by the Bombay Natural
History Society.)
Department have indicated a willingness
to minimise the use of sand in their con
struction work and, where possible, opt for
alternative construction materials such as
timber, which is abundantly available.
Non-governmental
organisations
(NGOs) such as the Andaman and
Nicobar Environment Team (ANET), the
Society for Andaman and Nicobar
Ecology (SANE) and Kalpavriksh have
been collaborating with the Directorate of
Education in an attempt to spread envi
ronmental awareness and sensitivity
among the people of the Islands.
The needs of wildlife conservation
and those of human communities have
always appeared to be in conflict. In the
Andaman and Nicobar Islands, however,
the opposite is proving to be true: the
destruction of the beaches, which the tur
tles use for nesting, threatens the survival
of not just one of nature’s most magnifi
cent creatures. Even the human commu
nities that depend directly on this
environment are being forced to pay a
heavy price - ecological and economic.
Sensible conservation policies must be
evolved in order to ensure that for once
there will be no losers, only winners. ■
FRONTLINE, MAY 26. 2000
f
A Look At The Andaman & Nicobar Islands
The Andaman & Nicobar (A&N) Islands are a group of about 306 islands, situated off the eastern coast
of India, in the Bay of Bengal. They are also called the Bay Islands. Together they constitute a Union
Territory (U.T.) of India. The islands are divided into two districts: Andaman to the North and Nicobar
to the South. The two districts are separated by about 160 km, by the Ten Degree Channel of the sea.
Being close to the equator, and surrounded by the sea, the islands have a tropical climate. Rainfall is
heavy, with both north-east and south-west monsoons being received. It rains seven months in the year
here!
Total area
8249 sq. km.
Area of Andaman District
6408 sq. km.
Area of Nicobar District
1841 sq. km.
Latitude
6° 45ZN to 13° 4VN
Longitude________________________ 92° 12ZE to 93° 57' E
Minimum temperature
16.7° C
Maximum temperature
36.1° C
Mean annual rainfall
3180.5 mm.
Average relative humidity
77%
Coastline_________________________ 1962 km._________
Area under cultivation______________ 150 sq. km._______
Area under plantations
300 sq. km.
Area under forests
7094 sq. km.
*
1
Source: Pandect al 1991
In more ways than one, each island is like a jewel in the ocean. Clothed with thick forests and fringed
with mangroves, the isles look like emeralds.
The islands are mountain peaks which have emerged from the sea. They are part of a submerged
mountain range related to the Arakan Yoma Range of Burma. Barring Little Andaman and a few islands
in Nicobars, the land is undulating with hills and ridges. The islands are very narrow, with an average
width of only 20 km. There are few perennial streams. Two known volcanic islands exist here - Barren
(which erupted in 1991) and Narcondam (considered extinct).
The soil is generally poor and acidic. Soil types are variable, from heavy clay to loamy to sandy.
At present, 38 of the 306 islands in A&N are inhabited.
Importance Of A&N Islands
*
Islands have unique features. Surrounded on all sides by the sea, they represent little worlds in
themselves. The A&N islands are particularly interesting. Many unique plants and animals are found
on the islands. There are numerous habitats that exist together here. Mangroves and coral reefs protect
our coastlines from storms and are vital for our fisheries. Coral reefs themselves are a living wonder.
They open up a whole world of magic for us. Forests are home to hundreds of useful plants and
animals. Many of them have not even been discovered as yet, although the tribals have known about
them for centuries.
KALPAVRIKSH PUBLICATIONS
Treasured Islands: An Environmental Handbook for the Andaman and Nicobar Islands
Sunita Rao (1996; Revised edition 1999; Hindi version 2()(X)).
A comprehensive workbook of information and activities, specific to the islands, but applicable to other
coastal areas also. Fully illustrated, pp. 94, Rs. 120.
Treasured Islands: Glimpses of the Environment of the Andaman & Nicobar Islands.
Poster. Rs. 30
Where Communities Care: Community-Based Wildlife And Ecosystem Management In South
Asia. Ashish Kothari, Neema PathakAnd Farhad Vania. 2000.
Details: 222 pp., Quarto size, Colour cover. INR 100.00 (only in South Asia); US $12.
Sharing The Benefits Of Biodiversity: The Kani-Tbgri Deal In Kerala, India.
R.V.Anuradha. 2000.
Details: 43 pp.. Quarto size. Colour cover. Seven colour pictures. INR 40.00; US $5.
Pelicans And People: The Two-Pier Village Of Kokkare Bellur, Karnataka, India.
K. Manu and Sara Jolly. 2000.
Details: 33 pp., Quarto size. Colour cover. Eight colour pictures. INR 40.00; US $5.
Tribal Self-Rule And Natural Resource Management: Community Based Conservation At MendhaLekha, Maharashtra, India. Neema PathakAnd Vivek Gour-Broome. 2001.
Details: 150 pp.. Quarto size, Colour cover, 11 colour photos and 3 maps. INK 100; US$10.
Source Book On Community-Based Conservation In South Asia: People, Policies And
Publications. Compiled by Farhad Vania, Neema Pathak, Ashish Kothari and Tejaswini Apte. 2000.
Details: 127 pp.. Quarto size. Colour cover. INR 75.00; US $5.
Joint Protected Area Management - A Simple Guide: How It Will Benefit Wildlife And People.
Tejaswini Apte And Ashish Kothari. 2000.
Details: 48 pp., Quarto size. Two-tone cover. INR. 25.00; US $3.
f
Coastal Conservation Through Enterprise At Rekawa Lagoon, Sri Lanka.
S. U.K. Ekaratne, S.S.Jinendradasa, M.D. Abeysisrigunawardana & John Davenport. 2000.
Details: 57 pp.. Quarto size, Colour cover. Eight colour pictures. INR 60.00; US$ 6.
Does Community Based Conservation Make Economic Sense? Lessons From India
SushiI SaigaI. 2000.
Details: 80 Pp. Quarto Size, Colour Cover. 16 Colour Pictures. Inr 60.00. Us$ 6.
Forest Revival And Water Harvesting: Community Based Conservation At Bhaonta-Kolyala,
Rajasthan, India.
Swati Shresth with R. Sridhar. 2001.
Details: 70 pp. Quarto size, Colour cover, 12 colour pictures. INR 60, US$6.
Customs And Conservation: Cases Of Traditional And Modem Law In India And Nepal
Ruchi Pant. 2002.
Details: (In press); Approx. 60 pp., Quarto size, Colour cover. 8 colour pictures, INR 75, US$ 7.
*
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■
.
■■ T
PICTURES: PANKAJ SEKHSARIA
To save an archipelago
The Supreme Court issues landmark orders to ensure the preservation of the threatened rainforests and
environment of the fragile Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
PANKAJ SEKHSARIA
N MayTjjhe Supreme Court ofIndia,
V-x while hearing a matter relating to the
environment of the Andaman and Nicobar
Islands, accepted the recommendations of
a Commission it had appointed to look into
the issues involved and passed a set of land
mark orders.
The commission had made 25 major
recommendations ranging from a ban on
all tree-felling in the islands, except for the
bona fide use of the local islander popula
tions; a ban on transport of timber to any
pan of the country; removal of encroachmen ts; steps to reduce immigration from
mainland India; shut-down of the
Andaman and Nicobar Forest Plantation
and Development Corporation (ANFPDC) chat had logged the forests of Little
Andaman island for years; phasing out of
the existing monoculture plantations of red
oil palm, rubber and teak; closing down of
the Andaman Trunk Road (ATR) in the
Jarawa Tribal Reserve areas and a stop to
sand mining from the island’s beaches.
FRONTLINE, JUNE 21, 2002
The court’s orders offer the best chance
During a hearing on Novemher 23,
to save the rich but threatened tropical rain- 2001, the court had appointed the one-man
forests and the vulnerable indigenous com- Shekhar Singh Commission “to look into
munitiesoftheseuniqueislands.Theorders the state of the island_________
’s Torests and other
also have far-reaching implications for the related matters,” and submit its recom
immigrant populations that have settled mendations within six weeks {Frontline,
here from the mainland.
January 18, 2002). Shekhar Singh, who has
• ’
’ *
‘
j on
The larger proceedings are part of the considerable
experience in working
ongoing TN. Godavarman Thimm.'.ulpadvs iissues concerning
’
1, submitted a
the__
islands,
The Union ofIndia and Ors (Writ Petition voluminous three-pan report to the: court
202 (Civil) of 1995), better known as the on February 18.
‘forest case’. The orders came in a specific
Understandably, there was strong
intervention filed jointly before the apex opposition to some pans of the report. A
court in 1999 by the Society for Andaman flurry ofactivity followed, whichsawanum
& Nicobar Ecology (SANE), the Bombay ber of other parties including the Andaman
Natural History Society. (BNHS) and the• Furniture Industries Association, the
environmental action group Kalpavriksh, Andaman and Nicobar Islands Small-Scale
with the support of the Environmental Wood-based Industries Association and the
Justice Initiative (EJI) and rhe Human Member of Parliament from the islands,
Rights Law Network (HRLN).
Bishnu Pada Ray, in addition to the local
administration and the Union Ministry of
(Top) Thick tree cover in South
Environment and Forests (MoEF) filing
Andaman. The Supreme Court’s set of
affidavits. The general opinion in the islands
landmark orders offer the best chance
favoured the shutting down of timber
to save the rich but threatened tropical
extraction and export operations. However,
rainforests of these unique islands.
recommendations to close down the ATR
131
Timber being loaded on to a ship at Hut Bay, Little Andaman island. The Supreme Court has ordered that the licences of all
private saw mills and wood-based industries be terminated with effect from March 31, 2003.
and phase out the sand-mining operations,
both of which would affect a major chunk
of the business operators here, were strongly opposed. The islands have a prominent
sand mafia, that has great political and
financial muscle. Today, the sand-mining
industry that feeds the rapidly growing con
struction boom of Port Blair is posing one
of the biggest environmental problems in
the islands and drastic solutions are required
to address the issue.
A lot of the coordinated opposition
materialised in a call for a complete bandh
in Port Blair by the Andaman Chamber of
Commerce and Industries (ACCI) on
March 12. All political parties including the
Congress(I), the Bharatiya Janata Party and
the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and a
number oftrader and business organisations
joined the bandh. That the bandh and the
opposition to the recommendations did not
have universal support became evident in
rhe next few days. In their statements dated
March 16 and March 18, the Local-Borns
Association (LBA) (descendants of penal
settlers) ancT
engal /Association
___ 1
and the B
Bengal
Andaman and Nicobar Islands7BAANI)
fy
strongly supported
the Commission’s. rec
__________
ommendations. The BAANI statement
said: “There has been some discontent and
opposition to the recommendations of the
Commission and a fear... that this will
adversely impact the people and the socioeconomic situation in the islands. We, on
132
the other hand, feel that the recommendations are... in the best interests of the peopie and the environment here. The fears
expressed are either out of a vested interest
or an incorrect reading and interpretation
of the recommendations...”
It was on May 7, just a couple of days
before the Supreme Court went into vacation, that the matter came up before a Bench
comprising Chief Justice B.N. Kirpal and
Justices Arijit Pasayat and H.K. Serna. The
Solicitor-General and amicus curiae in the
case, Harish Salve, argued for
cefully on the
forcefully
uniqueness and the imponance of the
forests and the islands that have been designated as
as aa ““global
global biodiversity
biodiversity hotspot
hotspot””
and the urgent need for their conservation.
Thereafter, the Bench issued orders
accepting the report of the Shekhar Singh
Commission, while making some “not very
major” modifications (except in the matter
ofsand mining). While the commission had
suggested that sand-mining be disallowed
from September 2002, the final order of the
court says that it should be phased outt at a
minimum rate of 20 per cent every year, so
as to bring it down to 33 per cent ofthe pre
sent level in five years.
Families that have been identified as
having encroached on forest land prior to
1978, and that had either not moved to their
allotted sites or had occupied more land
than they were entitled to were given one
month to make the necessary corrections.
The Commission had recommended that
all post-1978 encroachments be removed
’within six months and that the displaced
families be allotted homesteads
land. The court order reduced this time
limit to three months.
Further, the court ordered that the
licences of all private saw mills and woodbased industries in the islands be terminated with effect from March 31, 2003. It
ordered that the ‘Working Plans’ for limited timber extraction for local use be refor
mulated and submitted to the court within
12 weeks. In an imponant step that should
set a precedent for the rest of the country,
the
the court also directed that the Working
Plans be formulated by a committee that has
one ecologist proficient with the island’s
ecology.
Environmental and tribal rights groups
from across the country and abroad too have
welcomed the Supreme Coun’s orders. The
timing of the orders is also significant. This
summer, large parts of Port Blair were being
supplied drinking water in the pipes for a
mere 20 minutes once every three dayv
Evidently, the Supreme Court cannot rec
tify this situation, but pan of the long-term
solution to this critical problem may well be
achieved through the sincere implementa
tion of its orders. That, however, is much
easier said than done. HI
J
I
I
In association with LEAD-India programme.
FRONTLINE, JUNE 21, 2002
I
I
A FACT FINDING MISSION ON THE THREATENED PEOPLES OF
ANDAMAN
AND NICOBAR ISLANDS
C.R. Bijoy
Background:
?!
Andaman and Nicober islands lie in the Bay of Bengal bordered by Myanmar, Thailand,
Malaysia, Indonesia and Mainland India of which they are part of. Left to itself, the
Archipelago produced flora and fauna so rich in diversity, evolving rare species not found
anywhere else in the world. There are over 572 islands/islets and rocks. It has a total area
of 8.249 sq kms of which approximately 87% or 7,171 sq kms are officially under forest.
36 of the islands are inhabited with a population of 2,80,661 as per 1991 census (and an
estimated 400,000 in 1998). Of them, 9.54% are scheduled tribes. The total tribal
population excluding the Jarawa and Sentinelese (as they could not be enumerated) is
26,770. Of these, the majority (26,000) are Nicobarese of the island of Nicobar. The
Andaman group of islands are inhabited by four tribes of Negrito origin : the Great
Andamanese, the Onge, the Jarawas and the Sentinelese. The Nicobar group of islands
are home to two tribes of Mongoloid origin: the Nicobarese and the Shompens. Although
Andaman and Nicobar Islands were included in Ptolemy's cartographs, when exactly the
negrito tribes arrived here is a conjucture. It is generally accepted they came via Burma at
a time when they formed part of the land mass of the Arakan Range. The tentative period
of their arrival is speculated to be 50-100,000 years ago.
The islands at one time were considered to be so remote that they lay "undiscovered" for
thousands of years known only to the occassional Arab, Burmese of Malay traders who
sought refuge there from shipwrecks. Often the tribes became victim of Malay slave
traders. In 1756, the Danish Est India Company managed to establish a commercial
mission on the islands as a prelude to colonising them. The entire mission died in one
year due to ever and successive missions met with the same fate. Between 1807 and 1848
several expeditions were undertaken by the Danes, French and the British.
British attention was first drawn when sailors who survived shipwrecks started
disappearing on the islands. The investigations by British troops revealed that many of
the Andaman islands were inhabited by different tribes of people belonging to the negrito
race who had till now lived in complete isolation from the outside world. In 1789, the
British first established a colony in Andaman. Later in 1858 large forest tracts were
cleared to make room for Port Blair and also established a Penal Settlement - the famous
Cellular jail - after a fierce struggle with the native inhabitants. The Japanese occupied
briefly during the second world war and many tribals were killed. The British sought to
discipline and "civilise" them through domestication and colonisation. Many were killed
when their primitive spears proved to be no match against the guns of the British. After a
tribe was forced into subjugation, it's members were then used as liasons to establish
contacts with other hostile tribes. Many were taken to Port Blair as specimens where they
perished due to diseases. Their immunity system could not cope with diseases like
common cold, influenza, ophthalmia and measles, syphilis etc. which "civilisation" took
to them, it is believed that when that at the end of 18th century, there were 15
communities out of which only 6 survived to the present times.
The population of the islands was 24,500 in 1901. After India's independence from
British rule in 1947, the Indian government encouraged immigration from the mainland.
Today, it is referred to as little India because they are a home to people from all over the
mainland. Fortunately, partly because of their remoteness, in spite of modern
development, only 36 islands are inhabited. The population of tribal communities except
the Nicobarese have dwindled. The population of Great Andamanese reduced from 625
in 1901 to 28 in 1991. The population of Onge has reduced from 672 in 1901 to 101 in
1991. The Jarwas are estimated to be 250, the Sentinelese between 50m and 250 and the
Shompen 223.
There have been proposals in recent times for rapid development of the island's economy.
Setting up of free port and development of tourism has been argued. Claiming to base on
the recommendation of UNDPAVTO study team, necessary action for construction of
beach resorts, development of beaches, water sports activities, manpower planning and
training, setting up of tourism development authority and effective mode of
communication have been taken up in 1997-98. There are reports that caching in on the
1996 statement by Robin Catchpole, a Royal Greenwich Observatory, Cambridge, that
tne first rays of the new millennium at 00.00 hours GMT can be seen over a speck of an
island called Katchai in the Central Nicobar group, the Andaman administration is all set
to host about 20,000 tourists. Katchai is a piece of land of 17,450 ha of which 12,000 ha
are protected forests and another 4,000 are under rubber plantation leaving just 1,450 ha
for a living space for about 2,500 Nicobarese who have led a sequestered life all these
years. It does not matter that there is a raging controversy amongst the astronomers
whether Katchai indeed would actually receive the first rays of the sun in the new
millennium. The administration has already embarked in preparation for this millennium
bast least discouraged by ecological impact of hosting such a mega event or the social
consequences of not only Nicobar group but also of the Andamans
The Great Andamanese:
The Great Andamanese were a community of ten sub-groups. They occupy the main
Andaman Island. When the first contact was established with the Great Andamanese in
1858, the estimated population was 4,800. They succumbed in 1858 to the overtures of
the British to establish contact and gun power.
The British strategy to "civilise" them consisted of a combination of "punitive"
expeditions and bribery. Captured tribals were taken to Port Blair and "treated kindly".
Wounds inflicted were treated and some of the captured were taken back to their islands
loaded with presents. Other captives were kept back as museum pieces and were even
sent to Calcutta and Burma as specimens of study and ridicule or trained to serve as
domestics and displayed as personal exotica. Some who managed to learn Hindustani
were used as go-betweens to establish contact with the Jarawa and the Onges. Because of
geographical proximity to Port Blair, they were often in direct contact with the convicts
!
of the Penal Settlement established there. Soon the British established an Andaman
House in Port Blair where these people could come and stay with rations on-the-house
and medical treatment. Creation of dependency relations was a final blow to their dignity,
freedom and existence.
On contact, a large number perished because of diseases. Epidemics such as pneumonia
(which broke out in 1868), measles (1877) influenza (1896) and syphillis killed hundreds.
They had no resistance to these disease. From around 5,000 in early part of 19th century
the population of Great Andamanese reduced from 625 to 1901, 209 in 1921, 90 in 1931,
23 in 1951 and to 28 in 1991. They were the first to be "civilised". They have ceased to
exist as a community and are endangered. They had to resort to beg for a living till a few
years ago, when the administration settled them on the Stuart Island where they survive
on dole patiently waiting for the end of this once great people.
The Onge:
The Onge, occupying 732 sq km of the thickly forested Little Andaman Island, were the
next to be "civilised" after the Great Andamanese. While contact was established with the
Great Andamanese in 1858, it took the British about 30 years more to do so with the
Onges. The first attempt was made in 1867 in the form of "punitive" expeditions. The
captain and crew of the British ship, Assam Valley, who had landed on the island of
Little Andaman to cut spar were killed by the Onges. British troops landed on the shores
of Little Andaman and the ensuing battle resulted with 70 Onges dead and the Victoria
Cross - the highest British honour - for 5 British soldiers. Eventually the Onges became
regular visitors at the Andaman House at Port Blair.
With independence, the Government of India encouraged migration to safeguard
territorial interests. The Andaman and Nicobar Protection of Aboriginal Tribes
Regulation of 1957 accorded the status of a tribal reserve to the entire island. A 1965
Report by the 'The Interdepartmental Team on Accelerated Development Programme for
he A & N Islands, Ministry of Rehabilitation, Govt, of India proposed clear felling of
nearly 40% of the island's forests, the bringing in of 12,000 settler families to the area
and the promotion of commercial plantations such as red oil palm and timber based
industries. In 1967, the island of Little Andaman was opened up for settlement. In 1970
Timber extraction began. The Onges natural habitat of verdant dense tropical forests
began to be destroyed in the name of development for the settlers. The 1957 Regulation
was ignored and violated. 20,000 hectares (roughly 30%) of the island was denotified
from its tribal reserve status in two stages, in 1972 and 1977, still leaving 53,000 hectares
as an inviolable tribal reserve. The 1,600 ha red oil palm plantation work began in 1975
by the Forest Department and a major timber extraction operation continues even today.
The forest department leased out 19,600 ha from the denotified area to the Andaman and
Nicobar Forest Plantation and Development Corporation - the sole agency for timber
extraction here which began functioning in 1977. Furthermore a working plan had not
been prepared for logging operations and the continued logging contravenes a Supreme
Court order of 1996 stopping all logging in the absence of a working plan. The
f
Corporation has logged within the tribal reserve making a mockery of the law itself as
well as the rights of Onges. The 1988 formulation of the National Forest Policy makes a
special case for the protection of the Andamans and Nicobar Islands. This transmigration
and colonisation programme could not be fully implemented due to logistical problems
that only 3,000 families finally settled here. During 1977-79 more settlers were settled
and their population grew rapidly to over 12,000 in 1991 displacing some Onges from
their habitats.
Till 1976 they were sole inhabitants of the islands when they were forcibly relocated in
an area of 110 sq kms by the Government of India who established the first settlement for
the Onges at Dugong Creek in the northeast of the island and in 1980 the second
settlement at South bay at the southern tip. The Dugong Creek consists of 26 wooden
houses with asbestos roofing where temperatures rose at least 10 degrees higher than in
the adjoining forest. Most of the Onges prefer to build their own temporary huts near the
wooden houses. Free rations are provided which include rice, wheat, sugar, tea, milk
powder, tobacco and clothes. Also included are a coconut plantation set up for their
"welfare" to provide work and income. They lack interest in this alien form of labour
which causes to be condemned as "lazy" by the people in charge of the settlements.
Attempts to introduce poultry farming, a piggery project and a pair of cows have met
with the same indifference from the Onges.
These settlements are under the charge of Andaman Adim Janjati Vikas Samiti (AAJVS)
which was constituted in 1976 as an autonomous body fully financed through the special
assistance of the government of India, Ministry of Home Affairs. The AAJVS introduced
welfare measures that were completely unsuitable to the Onges. Foodstuffs such as rice,
dal, oil and biscuits were introduced to the community whose traditional food included
wild boar, turtle, fish, tubers and honey. The agency offered each adult 250 gm of
tobacco as a "welfare" measure. The authorities are attempting to confine the nomadic
Onges to the settlements of Dugong Creek and South bay to move forestry operation
deeper into the jungle and to open up the rest of the island which is still a tribal reserve.
The Onges were still about a decade ago skilled hunters and gatherers following
translocatory pattern, moving from coast to the forest and creek areas in accordance with
the supply of food - turtles, dugongs, crab and fish from sea, tubers, pigs, honey, cicada
grubs and fruit from the forest. They knew nothing of cultivation or domestication of
animals and lead a life of self-sufficient isolation. Alcohol was introduced by the settlers
extracting a heavy toll. The decline in the size of the community has led the erosion of
codes of conduct, child adoption and rituals. They are forced to abandon their culture.
The Forest Corporation that is logging from inside the tribal reserve and logging more
than the quantities that it should log is the main destroyer of forests. The warnings of the
Anthropological Society of India and the media have been ineffective. The settlers look
down upon them. Illegal poaching has resulted in a drastic decline of rare creatures as the
monitor lizard, the dugong and the endemic Andaman Wild Pig which are not only
important source of food for Onges but also play an integral role in their culture and
society. A visit to the onge settlement of Dugong Creek has become mandatory on many
an itenary of dignitaries. The Onge are expected to perform for their pleasure and
entertainment. The population of Onge has declined from 672 in 1901 to 250 when
enumerated in 1931 - a reduction of 63% and further to 101 in 1991. Today the birth of a
child has become a rare occassion. They face extinction.
The Jarawa:
The Jarawas occupy an area of 785 sq. kms along the west coast of Middle and South
Andamans, an area termed by the government as the Jarawa Reserve. During World War
II, the Japanese captured and massacred many Jarawas. Middle Andaman and South
Andaman are the focus of much of Indian immigration to Andamans. The Jarwas remain
hostile. The Jarawa Tribal Reserve was established in order to protect the Jarawa way of
life and to keep the tribal people confined to the reserve as also to prevent the settlers
from encroaching into it along the periphery of the reserve, 44 bush police camps with
400 policemen were established. Over time, however, several encroachments were made
and the function of the police force has been confined to keeping the Jarawa at bay who
once roamed the length and breadth of the island unhindered.
The first group of Jarwa was captured alive only in 1968. In 1974 a contact party
comprising administration officials, members of the Andaman Adim Janjati Vikas Samiti,
anthropologists and police officials established friendly contact with some members of
the Jarawa. Critics liken this to attempts to make the Jarawas dependent upon the
administration. Every month expeditions are sent by the government because the islands
which they inhabit are also inhabited by the settlers. The policies have also created
tensions between the Jarawas and the settlers.
A 340 km long Andaman Trunk Road slicing though the heart of Jarawa reserve has
opened up more areas for settlement. The Jarawa protests in the form of road blocks,
demolition of bridges attacks and occassional killing of workers against the construction
were ignored. Work came to a halt in 1976 but resumed. Traffic on the road has grown
enormously. Many more settlers now live in areas bordering the Reserve thereby
increasing the possibility of interaction and conflict. Hunting wild boar ^nd deer inside
the reserve by the settlers as well as poaching forest produce and timber are common. At
times, the rudimentary settlements of Jarawas are also destroyed. Many illegal
encroachments inside the Reserve has also come up with political patronage.
In October 1997, settlers in the Middle Andaman witnessed an unfamiliar sight of a
group of Jarawas. This was the first recorded instance of Jarawas voluntarily seeking to
establish contact with the settlers. Over the next few months there were several more
reports of Jarawas coming out of their forests. Some of them were seen to be pointing out
to their bellies which were interpreted as expressions of hunger. Packets containing dry
fish, puffed rice and bananas were air-dropped from helicopters in Jarawa territory.
Jarawas have sustained themselves on forest produce for centuries and there is no reason
to believe that they have suddenly been pushed into starvation.
I
i
Anthropologists have another explanation. It relates to the experience of Enmey, a
teenaged Jarawa boy, who was found with a fractured foot near Kadmtala town in 1997.
The local residents arranged for his treatment in Port Blair where he was looked after
well. When Enemy recovered, he was sent back to Middle Andaman where he promptly
disappeared into the forests. Since October 1997, it is Enemy who has largely been
responsible for bringing his people out to experience the settlers hospitality and not
starvation. Nevertheless, destruction of natural environment and confinement of Jarawas
into smaller and smaller territory are threatening facts with its impact on survival of
Jarawas.
Today there are only 250 of them and vast expanses of their rainforest homelands have
been cleared to accommodate settlers and to feed the huge timber industry on which
economic foundation of Andamans is laid The government's Master Plan (1991-2021)
for Welfare of Primitive Tribes of Andaman and Nicobar Islands' lays out a policy of
settling the Jarawa in one place, precisely the type of scheme which history has
repeatedly shown to be disastrous for nomadic people. The plan for 2020 and beyond
says "The Jarawas would lead the settled life with surplus economy based predominantly
on fishery. There shall be two Jarawa village settlements, one in the South Andaman and
other in the Middle Andaman".
The Sentinelese:
Occupying the remote and isolated North Sentinel Island and they have remained
completely hostile and have never permitted anyone to land on its shores. The Sentinelese
were only discovered in 1967. They are thought to number between 50 and 200 while one
estimate is that they number 98. The Government of India sends expeditions sporadically
- boats loaded with gifts of red ribbons, coconuts, sweet potatoes, cooked rice and
aluminium vessels. The Sentinelese have known to come out to the boats accepting the
gifts except cooked rice and aluminium vessels They have made it clear that they have
no desire at all to come out of their isolation and freedom
The Shompen:
The Shompen of Nicobar number 223. They were till recently fairly isolated on the huge
island of Great Nicobar. But settlements of ex-service men and developmental activities
have pushed them. A friendship hut has recently been established up to facilitate contact
with settlers.
The Nicobarese:
Of all the tribals of Andaman and Nicobar, the Nicobarese have been successfully
assimilated, especially those living in Car Nicobar island. The Christian Missionaries had
long been in touch with them converting them, their population is estimated to be 22,000.
'J2H- 2-o -S"
, The Other Media
From:
"Kalpavriksh” <kvriksh@vsnl.com>
To:
"Gam Shimray" <admin@del3.vsnl.net.in>
Sent:
Tuesday, August 20, 2002 12:20 PM
for GamFw: for PS
Subject:
Gam,
See below. May be of interest and use.
pankaj
People's Commission on Envt and devt
The bit on A&N
t
The People's Commission on Environment and Development India, a non-governmental, non-profit association, was launched
in New Delhi in 1990. It holds public hearings in the country to harvest the perspective on, and the insight into, environmental
and development issues from a wide constituency of stakeholders and induct them into the government's decision-making
process. Its modality of public hearing represents a novel way for the people to dialogue with government about the critical
survival issues, and provides an opportunity to the people to forge partnerships for change and express their shared
commitment to a new paradigm of socially equitable and environmental sustainable development.
Forests In Andaman & Nicobar
Andaman and Nicobar group of islands abound in tropical forests and rich natural vegetation. The forest cover
is about 75% with a wide variation of types, including of commercial timber. The main forest types are: (i)
mangrove; (ii) beach; (iii) moist deciduous; (iv) low -level wet evergreen; and (v) higher level wet evergreen.
The moist deciduous and low-level wet evergreen forests are economically very important. Most of the
important hard woods species, including the valuable Padauk (Pterocarpus delbergioides) and Gurjan
(Dipterocarpus spp.) are found in the forest. Gurjan, the most important species, forms about 30.5% of the
total timber extracted from the islands. No proper stock mapping has yet been done, but it is estimated that
about 66% of the forest area of Andaman Islands, excluding the areas under mangrove and beach forests, is
covered by wet evergreen forest and the remaining by moist deciduous forest.
One school of thought is that forests should be the basis of all development, the vegetation should not be
tampered with and productive activity should be confined to utilising forest produce in forest - based
industries . The soil erosion from lands cleared in the past lends support to this view. It is feared that the
islands' topography and heavy rainfall will induce total soil loss if more forests are cleared.
The other view is that forests should be cleared where land is suitable for agriculture and plantation. The
basis of development should be the extension of agriculture, and forests may be retained where agriculture is
not profitable. Soil erosion in the past was due to lack of appropriate measures. With proper and adequate soil
conservation measures, the hazards of soil erosion can be overcome.
This apparent conflict between forestry and agriculture should be resolved. A definite policy should be evolved
and woven into the development strategy.
The area under forests comprises three distinct zones. First there are the hilly regions with such gradients that
make forestry the best options. Any tampering with forests here will adversely affect the soil and the climate .
These regions which form about 50% of the area under forests, may be reserved for forestry.
The second zone comprises large marshy stretches of mangrove forest which have commercial value. They
are a valuable asset and, if properly managed, will prove to be a permanent source of revenue. The
mangroves constituting about 10% of the area under forest, are builders and guardians of land. Their
destruction through over development (as is occurring in some places) will threaten the entire marine
ecosystem.
Thirdly, there is the remaining 40% of forest on flat or undulating lands. They have good soil and can support
both agriculture and forests. In these areas the apparent conflict between agriculture and forestry arises and
needs to the resolved. It is unexceptionable that future land exploitation should produce sustainable livelihood
for the maximum number of people within its carrying capacity. The future land use policy should be designed
keeping these two objectives in view.
8/19/02
Mangroves in Andaman islands
JOHN LOBO
Former Deputy Conservator Of Forests
Andaman & Nicobar Administration
M A PARVEZ
Andaman Prakriti Samsad
The Andaman and Niobar Islands are the home to four Negrito and two Indo-Mongoloid tribes. Those
belonging to the Negrito racial stock - Great Andamanese, Onge, Jarawa and Sentinelese - are still at
hunting-gathering stage of economy. Small in number, sensitive and isolated, they have been under severe
stress. The Indo-Mongoloid group of the Nicobarese, relatively sturdy and resilient, have accepted the
challenge of change and have prospered and multiplied. The other Mongoloid community, the Shompen, semi
nomadic and living in small, scattered settlements, still shy away from outsiders. They are somewhat better off
than the Great Andamanese and the Onge, whose numbers have sharply dwindled. However they are not as
remote as the Sentinelese and the Jarawa
The survival of all tribal communities (except the Nicobarese) is the key issue in the islands. The maintenance
of ecological balance is intimately linked with their survival. Since 1901, their population has been declining.
They must be preserved and helped to develop in their own way at all cost. The four Negrito communities,
and even the Shompen, must be encouraged to develop the will to survive, which they have been losing over
the years. This can be done only by showing respect for their culture, which remain unique in the plurality of
cultures in our country. They also possess a profound knowledge of their ecology and concern for its
preservation. Survival of these groups and preservation of ecological balance are interconnected.
The Nicobarese
The Nicobarese, in many ways, are the most significant tribal population on the islands. They are
horticulturists and keep large herds of pig, and are economically well off. They live on 12 islands in the
Nicobar group and one island (Little Andaman) in the Andaman group. They constitute about 12% of the total
population of the Andaman & Nicobar Islands. Their numbers (26,000) give them confidence, strength and
power. They have had the benefit of good and able leadership for long. Having been in contact with the
outside world for centuries, they have consequently been exposed to various forces of change and have
shown themselves capable of absorbing the benefits of modern day welfare measures.
The Shompen
The Shompen are semi-nomadic people numbering about 200, inhabiting the southernmost island in the
Nicobar group, the Great Nicobar Island. A hunting - gathering community, their subsistence economy is
closely related to the ecology. They subsist by gathering food, hunting and fishing, domestication of pigs and
horticulture. Primarily territory based, they rarely leave it except to go on raiding expeditions. The extent of
their external contact is limited to trade with the Nicobarese. It has resulted in very little change at the levels of
their social institutions. Only those in the Galathea River basin showed some change. But their dress, cooking
utensils and food habits have undergobe marked change because of gifting of these items by the
Administration under the contact programme. The influx of mainlanders in their habitat has also caused some
undesirable impact upon them.
The Onge
The hunting-gathering communities, the Onge being one of them, are typical representatives of the simplest
level of human culture existing in the world. Little Andaman island has been the Onge’s home from time
immemorial. Earlier, their movements were confined to the island with occasional forays to other islands in
their dug-out out-rigger canoes.
They have been in regular contact with outsiders for over a century. For long, they successfully evaded all
attempts at contact with the outsiders. Despite their resistance, they were disturbed and were left in a state of
destitution for a considerable period of time. In 1967, Little Andaman was opened up for settlement for people
from outside. For the first time, the small and fragile population of 98 Onges have started living face to face
with several thousand people. This had a far-reaching impact on their life and future.
The Great Andamanese
Today, the small population of only 36 isall that remains of the ten original Great Andamanese tribes that were
spread out all over the Great Andaman which comprises South Andaman, Middle Andaman, North Andaman
and all the interlying islands. They were a virile and strongly built people who were highly suspicious of
outsiders, especially the kind that cut down the forests, disturb their tribal life and the peace of the islands.
8/19/02
i
v The population on the South Andaman were the first to come in contact with the colonial authority in the penal
settlements founded in 1858. As the settlements spread northwards to the Middle and North Andaman
Islands, conflict intensified. Eventually friendly contacts were established with each of the tribes. However, the
resulting close physical association led to the spread of new diseases brought in by outside people. Death
and devastation followed on a large scale. The population continued dwindling leading to social
disorganization of these once proud communities. In 1968, the Administration resettled the surviving
populations on the Strait Island. The Government has been looking nafter them ever since.
The Jarawa
A small tribe of around 200 people, the Jarawas inhabit the west coast of the South Andaman and Middle
Andaman Islands. They are classic hunter-gatherers and live on whatever forest produce they gather. They
hunt animals but not birds. Because of their un-friendly stance, little that is known of their social life is based
on limited observation.
They do not have friendly relations with outsiders including those settled near their habitat. Despite the odds,
they have not yielded to the overtures by outsiders. After Independence (1947), an area of about 765 sq. km
in the South Andaman and Middle Andaman islands was declared as the Jarawa Reserve Forests to protect
them and their hunting-gathering economy. However, the settling of displaced persons in their vicinity, with
the accompanying clearing of forests, had unsettling effect on them, heightening their feeling of insecurity. As
a result, their forays into settlers’ areas continue.
The Sentinelese
Of all the tribal societies in India and the rest of the world, the Sentinelese (estimated population around 250)
are perhaps the most isolated and the most untouched culturally and biologically. They live on the small island
of North Sentinel, off the west coast of South Andaman island. They are, by all evidence, a true hunting
gathering society with considerable reliance on sea resources, and appear to have close cultural identity with
the three Negrito tribes. They are highly suspicious of outsiders. Because of their sensitivity in this regard,
there is no administrative presence on this island.
AJOY BAGCHI
Executive Director PCED,
New Delhi
Presently, all the islands of the Andaman & Nicobar archipelago, except the tribal reserve areas, are open to
domestic tourists. The foreign tourists are permitted in Port Blair, Mayabundar, Havelock, Neil and Long
Islands for 30 days. The visits to Jolly Buoy, Red Skin islands in the Mahatma Gandhi Marine National Park,
Madhuban and Mount Harriet in South Andaman Island are allowed. The Administration has ambitious plans
to promote tourism by opening up other islands to foreign tourists. Some more areas have been identified for
development of beach resorts and golf courses. For golf courses, forest areas are proposed to be cleared and
exotic grass species introduced. This will cause major problem for the ecosystem. The introduction of edible
Giant African snail by the Japanese during their occupation of the islands has already led to disastrous
consequences. They have become a serious pest for agricultural crops, plantations and forests.
These islands have all those things that attract a tourist -- natural beauty, unpolluted environment, lush green
tropical forests, and unique fauna and flora. Almost all tourists visit the Marine National Park for snorkelling,
scuba diving, swimming or viewing live corals and other marine fauna. These activities, if not properly
regulated and managed, will lead to large-scale destruction of coral and its associates. Presently, most of the
coral reefs around South Andaman are either struggling to survive or are dead. Despite a ban, indiscriminate
and excessive collection of shells continue. It will further weaken the reef ecosystems, make them susceptible
to infestations, and lead to ecological disturbances. The exploitation of commercially valuable shells are
directly linked to tourist inflow. The availability of turbo, trochus, giant calm, cowrie and nancowrie shells has
drastically fallen over the years in the off-shore areas. Dugong (herbivorous marine mammal) was common in
these islands, particularly in the Dugong Creek areas of the Little Andaman Island. Now it is scarce, and a few
patches of its habitat are left in the Ritchie’s Archipelago and in the Nicobars. Marine turtles and saltwater
crocodiles, once widely found, have been listed as endangered. Several species of mammals, birds and
reptiles, endemic to these islands, are now infrequently sighted.
The promoting of tourism will have to be done within the parameters of preservation of these unique
ecosystems, their carrying capacity, balanced utilisation of natural resources, national security and socio
economic conditions. The problems of environmental protection are inextricably linked to those of economic
development Development should not lead to environmental destruction, and environmental protection
should not lead to economic stagnation. Development has to involve the creation of a liveable environment.
Therefore, the development of tourism in these islands should focus on :
8/19/02
s
Improved transport facilities with the mainland and between the islands;
Easy availability of food items;
□
Development of industries to process fishery and forest items so that finished, value-added items,
___ instead of raw material, are exported;
I Q Encouraging upmarket, eco-friendly tourism;
1 3 j Environmental impact assessment of new areas proposed to be opened to tourists;
i
I [3 I Restricting introduction of exotic fauna and flora;
[*] : Strictly banning coral and shell collection from sea and beaches;
I Q Assessing long-term effect on the ecosystem of increased tourism activities;
3 Selective and controlled access to national parks and other sensitive areas; and
; Q Restricting migration from the mainland and other places.
Dr K. CHANDRA &
BISWAJIT DUTTA
Andaman Prakriti Samsad
Port Blair
8/19/02
PREFACE
<!
This report has been prepared under the directions of the Supreme Court of India, in a
short period of 7 weeks. Consequently, it suffers from many of the shortcomings that a
hurried process has. Also, because of the shortage of time, the report focuses mainly on
the Andaman group of Islands. This is also because they have far greater problems
related to forest working and other adverse environmental impacts, than the Nicobar
group. The shortage of time also prevented a visit to the Nicobar islands, though I have
visited them earlier for other purposes.
In the preparation of this report I have been greatly assisted by the help and
cooperation of the Lt. Governor of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Shri NN Jha, and
by other officers of the A&N administration, especially of the forest department. I would
particularly like to acknowledge my gratitude to Shri SS Patnaik, Principal Chief
Conservator of Forests, Shri PV Savant, Chief Conservator of Forests, Shri DV Negi,
Conservator, Shri Khazan Singh, Chief Wildlife Warden, and Shri RSC Jayaraj, DCF, all
of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands Forest Department.
Thanks are also due to Dr. Rauf Ali and Dr. Harry Andrews of the Andaman &
Nicobar Environmental Team (ANET), to Dr. Ravi Sankaran of SACON, and to Shri
Samir Acharya of SANE. I am particularly grateful to all the individuals, groups and
associations who took the trouble and found the time to meet with me during my two
visits to the Islands,
On the mainland, I benefited much from interactions with Shri JC Daniels and
Shri Debi Goenka of the Bombay Natural History Society. I was also fortunate enough to
meet some other members of the Society and have detailed discussions with them. Shri
Pankaj Shekhsaria and Shri Ashish Kothari of Kalpavriksh also provided much useful
information and ideas.
Officers of the Ministry of Environment and Forests, Government of India,
especially Shri MK Jiwrajika and Shri AR Chadha, were also very helpful and
forthcoming with information and advice, as were officers of the Planning Commission,
Ministry of non-conventional energy and the Forest Survey of India.
Finally, I owe a large debt to my colleagues at the IIPA, especially Shri Raman
Mehta, Ms. Vishaish Uppal, Shri Arpan Sharma, and Shri Harish Sharma, two of whom
accompanied me to the islands and all of them toiled day and night to complete this
report in time.
Shekhar Singh
New Delhi
30 January, 2002
1
A.
CONCLUSIONS AND MAIN RECOMMENDATIONS
CONCLUSIONS
1. The Andaman and Nicobar Islands (ANI) are an internationally acknowledged hot
spot for biodiversity. These islands have over 2500 species of flowering plants
(223 species endemic - not found anywhere else in the world), 5100 species of
animals (100 freshwater, 2100 terrestrial and 2900 marine), 179 species ofcorals,
making it the richest coral reef in India. 52 species of mammals (33 species
endemic), 244 species of birds (96 endemic) and 76 species of reptiles (24
endemic). The fact that these islands have a relatively small population and low
population density, and that they are remote and difficult to access, makes them
one of the last places in India where, with a little effort, biodiversity can be
effectively conserved, and that too without serious adverse impacts on the local
inhabitants.
2. Given the unique biodiversity values in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands (.ANI)
and their extreme ecological fragility, the major objective of forest and ecosystem
management in these Islands should be biodiversity conservation and protection
of the habitat of the tribals living in the forests. ANI has a preponderance of
evergreen and semi-evergreen tropical rain forests, which are not only the richest
biodiversity pools in the world but are also very fragile.
One of the major threats to the biodiversity of the forests of ANI is the stress on
commercial forestry. The forest department and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands
Forest Plantation and Development Corporation (ANIFPDC) currently follow a
“conversion" forestry system where natural forests are worked, commercial
species extracted and the worked forests regenerated and managed in a manner
such that there is a resultant preponderance of commercial species for future
harvesting. In the process, biodiversity is deliberately destroyed. Surprisingly, this
is being done according to prescriptions in working plans that have been approved
by the MoEF. In some areas, the natural forests have been totally cleared and
replaced with plantations of padauk, gurjan, teak, or a combination of these and
other commercial species. As per decisions taken by the Island Development
Authority (IDA), under the Chairmanship of the Prime Minister, and
2
r
recommendations of the Director General of Forests, the Ministry of Environment
and Forests (MoEF) and the ANI Administration started phasing out forest
working and lowered extraction levels from 1,23,678 cum in 1988-89 to 1,03,660
cum in 1990-91. However, they subsequently arbitrarily raised the level of
extraction to 1,35,523 cum in 1994-95. Fortunately, with the closing down of
three of the main wood based industries, the extraction levels have now come
down. Nearly 60% of the exploitable forests (excluding the tribal reserve and
protected areas) in South Andamans, Mayabandar and Baratang, have already
been “worked” and exploited and, consequently, their natural profile significantly
changed and their biodiversity value compromised, perhaps forever.
4. Another major threat to the forests of the Islands is because of encroachment of
forest areas. The A&N Administration had already identified and regularised the
forest encroachments of 1367 families who had encroached up to 1978, on over
2500 ha. of forestland. However, a large proportion of these families continue to
occupy additional forestland and continue to further expand and degrade their
holdings. Even the families shifted to their designated sites have reportedly
encroached additional land. Also, some of the families that had been identified as
pre 1978 have, since then, sold their encroached land and shifted elsewhere. The
families that have bought these encroached lands are now claiming to be pre 1978
encroachers. In addition, an estimated 2325 families have encroached subsequent
to 1978 on 2633.654 ha of forestland. Many of these encroachments are in some
of the last remaining natural lowland forests in North Andaman. They also appear
to be growing in size and in numbers
5. The most significant of the remaining natural forests in Andamans are those
within the Jarawa Reserve in South and Middle Andaman and the Onge Reserve
in Little Andaman. In recent years the Andaman Trunk Road has been opened and
passes contiguous to and in some cases through the tribal reserve. This road, and
the increased access to the Jarawas, poses a major threat not only to the Jarawa
tribals but also to the forests that they have protected for so many years.
3
i
I
6. The Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) has been granting permission
under the Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980 for the diversion of forestland for non
forest uses on a case-by-case basis without determining the optimality of the land
use and the future options that such a clearance could compromise.
7. Poachers from Myanmar and other neighbouring countries come to poach timber,
sea cucumbers and other species, especially in North Andaman. There are also
local poachers operating in the Islands. The forest department does not appear to
have the requisite legal and the infrastructure, especially in terms of humanpower,
arms, and fast boats, to prevent poaching.
8. Many exotic species of animals and plants have been introduced in the Islands,
with a \’ery destructive impact on forest regeneration. The introduction of oil
palms in Little Andaman and of teak in various parts of the islands has also had a
significant negative impact.
9. Approximately 2.23,937 cubic metres of sand was officially extracted from the
beaches of the Islands in the three years 1998-2001. 72 beaches around the islands
were used tor extraction. In addition, it is alleged by local people that there is also
illegal extraction of sand, which is considerable. The extraction of sand is being
arbitrarily allowed by the MoEF and is causing a lot of environmental damage. It
is also not a sustainable method of resource use. However, there appears to be no
effon to phase out the extraction and to move towards other, more sustainable and
safer, methods of construction.
10. The ability of the fragile ecosystem of these islands to withstand the impact of
tourism is limited. Apart from disturbance to the forests, there is also disturbance
to the marine and coastal ecosystem, especially to the coral reefs. The Islands
offer a great potential for high value, low volume, specialised eco-tourism that
can be done with minimal infrastructure and follows the principles of dispersion
and flexibility.
4
I
B.
MAIN RECOMMENDATIONS
Harvesting of Forests
1. Felling of trees and collection of non-timber forest produce (NTFP) should be
banned from the forests of Little Andaman Island and all tribal reserves except for
i) collection of NTFP from already worked forests of Little Andaman and from
forest areas designated for the purpose in the Nicobar group of Islands, for
meeting the legitimate consumption of local inhabitants; and ii) collection of
timber and other forest produce by tribals living within tribal reserves for meeting
their bonafide needs.
2. Harvesting of all forest produce including timber and NTFP should be completely
prohibited from National Parks and Sanctuaries.
3. In addition to areas covered under 1 & 2 above, no felling of trees should be
allowed in any unworked forest area, i.e., area where felling of trees as per
working plans, working schemes, felling schemes or approved working plans, has
not taken place earlier. There should also be no diversion of forestland from any
such unworked area or from areas covered under 1 and 2 above, without the
specific orders of the Supreme Court.
4. No felling of trees for whatsoever reasons or justification should be carried out to
supply to, or to meet the raw material requirement of, plywood, veneer,
blockboard, match stick or any other such wood based units except to local smallscale units (including saw mills) solely for meeting the local requirement for sawn
timber and other wood based products.
5. For meeting the timber and other forest produce requirements of inhabitants of the
ANI, felling of trees from forest areas not covered under 1, 2 & 3 above, i.e.,
forest area worked earlier in accordance with working plans, working schemes,
felling schemes or approved working plan and excluding areas falling within
national parks, sanctuaries, tribal reserves, or Little Andaman, may be allowed.
Such felling may be undertaken as per prescriptions of the working plans
approved by the MoEF. These plans should also contain action plans for
removing, in a phased manner, trees of commercial species that are in number or
concentration in excess of what is found in a natural forest of the same type and
5
I
I
similar location. Concurrently, efforts should be made to bring back the forest to
its natural profile by encouraging /reintroducing those species of fauna and flora
that naturally occurred in these forests prior to their being “converted”. The
working plan should also contain sufficient provisions for regeneration of felled
areas. In accordance with an earlier Supreme Court order of 22nd September,
2000, felling of trees should be allowed only it sufficient financial provisions for
implementing the working plan prescriptions have been made.
6.
In the meanwhile, the present ban on felling of trees may be continued and the
local requirement of timber and other forest produce may be met by utilising the
already felled trees and sawn timber lying with the forest department and the
ANIFPDC.
7. Once the stock of already felled trees and sawn timber is depleted, the local
requirement of timber should be met, as far as possible, by harvesting the mono
culture and mixed plantations of padauk, gurjan, teak and other species. The
felling of trees from already worked natural forest, as specified in 5 above, should
be undertaken only to meet the balance requirement. However, if the local
requirement of timber and other forest produce is more than what could be
obtained by felling of plantations and sustainably extracting trees from worked
areas, as specified in 5 above, the same may be met by bringing timber in from
other parts of the country. Under no circumstances should the over harvesting of
the forest available for felling under para 5 above be permitted or undertaken.
8. There should be no expansion of monoculture or commercial plantations on
forestland. The existing plantations of oil palm, rubber and teak are reportedly no
longer viable and should be phased out. The land so released should, in so far as it
is forestland, be regenerated as specified earlier. No exotic species of fauna or
flora should be introduced into the islands. Accordingly, a suitable set of
guidelines and procedures should be developed for the purpose. Consequently,
the Andaman and Nicobar Islands Forest Plantation and Development
Corporation Ltd. (ANIFPDC) should be wound up as it was primarily set up to
promote commercial forestry and plantations, especially in Little Andaman.
6
f
9. Government departments, including defence and PWD, should be supplied fuel
wood and other required forest produce by the forest department and should not
be permitted to directly collect these from the forests.
Working Of Wood Based Units
10. There should be a complete ban on the establishment of any new wood based unit
for the next 10 years.
11. All existing small-scale wood based units (saw mills) should be relocated within
industrial estates or, where industrial estates are not feasible, in locations
contiguous to forest offices or otherwise convenient for the forest department to
monitor. This relocation should be completed within one year, after which the
non-complying saw mills should be closed down. These saw mills should also be
required to obtain a licence from the ANI Forest Department within three months
and to maintain such records as may be prescribed by the forest department. Their
licence may be renewed every year at the discretion of the ANI Forest
Department, after the department has satisfied itself that a) the unit was not
involved in the use of any illegal timber; b) the prescribed records were properly
maintained; c) all provision of the act, rules and the terms and conditions
stipulated by the forest department from time to time have been complied with.
Necessary rules, guidelines etc., for the purpose, should be prescribed by the
forest department within three months.
12. No subsidy of any type, including transport subsidy, should be given to any wood
based unit.
13. Existing medium and large scale wood based industries (including plywood,
veneer, and match industries) can be allowed to function provided they import
their entire requirement of wood and other forest based raw materials from the
mainland or from abroad. No subsidies should be allowed to them.
14. No timber, either as logs or as sawn timber or plywood/veneer, or in any other
form, should be transported out of the Islands through any means whatsoever.
This should not, however, inhibit the transportation, as personal baggage, of a
reasonable quantity of wooden handicrafts by tourists or of personal articles by
those permanently leaving the islands. Also, where a wood based industry, as
7
specified in 13 above, imports its entire wood and forest based raw material
requirement, then it should be permitted to export its finished product.
Encroachments
15. Any further regularisation of encroachments on forestland in any from, including
allotment/use of forestland for agricultural or horticultural purposes, should be
strictly prohibited.
16. All those families who have been identified as having encroached on forest land
prior to 1978 and have not yet shifted to their allotted rehabilitation sites, should
be given three months notice to vacate their encroachments and shift to the
allotted land. Failing this, their allotment should be cancelled and they should be
forcibly evicted within three months of the deadline being over, without any
further claim to land or any other form of rehabilitation.
17. Similarly, those among the pre-1978 families that have shifted to their allotted
sites but have occupied more land than they were entitled to, should also be given
three months notice to vacate the extra land occupied by them. On the expiry of
this notice period, the allotments of those who ha\ e not complied with this notice
should be cancelled and they should be forcibly evicted within three months,
without any further claim to compensation or land.
18. All post 1978 forest encroachments should be completely removed forthwith and,
in any case, within six months. Post 1978 encroachers (except for foreign
nationals) should be allotted homesteads in revenue land and training and
opportunity for self-employment or for other types of livelihood activities
provided. Necessary powers for the eviction of encroachers should be given to the
forest department. For the purpose, an effective action plan should be prepared
and implemented under direct supervision, monitoring and control of a committee
comprising of the Lt. Governor, Chief Secretary, Principal Chief Conservator of
Forests of ANI, and reputed local NGO representatives. The Chief Secretary,
ANI, may be asked to file a monthly progress report in the Supreme Court.
19. In order to prevent any further encroachments and rampant immigration, the
Administration should, within three months, regulate the entry of people to the
islands by having the Islands declared as an inner line area and by imposing
8
relevant restrictions under section 3 and other provisions of the Environment
(Protection) Act of 1986. In accordance with this, non-residents entering the
islands should have to invariably register themselves so that those who do not
return to the mainland within a reasonable time can be traced and, where they
have illegally encroached on land, can be evicted from these encroachments at the
earliest. In addition, entry to the more vulnerable and forested areas of the Islands
should be restricted. Once this regulation is in position, the administration should
in a time bound manner issue identity cards to all the residents so that there is no
gap in the period of identification and issuance of ID cards. This would ensure
that fresh illegal encroachers are easily identified. Subsidised travel to the Islands
should, once identity cards have been issued, be available only to bonafide
residents of the Islands.
Other General Issues
20. For the conservation and protection of the forests and other ecosystems, an
effective action plan should be prepared by the ANI Forest Department, in
consultation with local NGOs and experts. This plan should also envisage a
suitable enhancement of the protected area network, especially in the main islands
of the Andaman and in the Nicobar Group. All unworked forest areas in Diglipur,
Mayabunder, Middle Andamans and Baratang should be made into national parks,
leaving a buffer belt between the national park boundary and the edge of revenue
settlements, for protection by village protection committees. In addition, there
should be a consolidation of the nearly hundred small island parks and sanctuaries
and they should be constituted into viable units encompassing the marine areas
surrounding them. This plan, after being approved by the MoEF, should be
strictly implemented. The necessary funds, vehicles, equipment, human power,
police help and legal power required for the effective implementation of this
action plan should be made available by the ANI administration.
21. The Andaman Trunk Road should be closed to all vehicular traffic from Miletilak
in South Andaman to the northern boundary of the S. Andaman Island. Similarly,
it should be closed to all traffic from Kadamtala (corresponding to Prolobjig camp
No.3) in Middle Andaman up to Kaushalya Nagar (corresponding to Porlobjig
9
camp No. 15). This should be done within three months. Further, no person
except for the Jarawas living in the Reserve should be allowed to enter the
Reserve by any means unless he/she is permitted by the Principal Chief
Conservator of Forests, and the Secretary, Tribal Welfare, ANI Administration,
and no such permission should be granted unless the person is proceeding on
bonafide work related to the welfare of the tribals or the protection of the area.
22. The practice of distributing timber and NTFP free to settlers should be
discontinued. Instead, rural populations should be formed into village forest
protection committees and, as per the joint forest protection norms prevalent in
other parts of the country, the amount of timber and NTFP required by village
communities should be given to them on the basis of a memorandum of
understanding, in return for their role in protecting the forests adjacent to their
settlements and in detecting and preventing encroachments.
2j. The extraction of sand should be phased out and no further extension should be
granted after the current extension is over on 30 September, 2002.
24. No concrete or permanent infrastructure for tourism should be built on any forest
area in the Islands. Tourist activities in forest areas should be restricted to tented
accommodation or temporary wooden/prefabricated structures that can be
dismantled easily and moved to another site. These areas should remain under the
control of the forest department who should be responsible for ensuring that the
quantum and type of tourism is such that it does not in any way degrade the
forests or other ecosystems.
25. The felling of 27 trees for the 33 KV transmission line from Bamboo Flat to
Minnie Bay, and 17 trees for construction of rural road from Adajig to Flat Bay
Village should be permitted as a one-time relaxation, as these projects are already
in their final stages, a small number of trees are involved and, reportedly,
necessary clearances had been obtained from the MoEF prior to the Supreme
Court’s order of 10.01.01. However, all other proposals or clearances under the
Forest (Conservation) Act of 1980 or the Environment (Protection) Act of 1986,
where diversion of land or felling of trees or other activities that would have an
10
impact on the environment, are still to be undertaken, should be put up for review
by the Supreme Court.
11
REPORT
12
L
PREAMBLE
Consequent to the order of the Supreme Court, on 26-11-2001, the Ministry of
Environment and Forests issued an order on 6-12-2001 (No. 13-19/2001-SU) appointing
me a Commissioner to give a report on the state of the forest and other allied matters of
the Andaman and Nicobar Islands (copy of order at annex 1).
Accordingly, I made two visits to the Andaman and Nicobar Islands (ANI), the
first from 16 to 21 December, 2001, and the second from 16 to 19 January, 2002. Apart
from Port Blair, I also visited and held meetings in South, Middle and North Andaman
during the first visit, and in Little Andaman during the second visit. In all, 33 public
meetings were held and representatives of 52 groups were met (Summary of oral
submissions at annex 2; copies of written submissions in Volume III). Meetings were also
held with the Lt. Governor, other government officials, scientists, NGOs and with the
petitioners (Detailed itinerary enclosed as annex 3)
I also travelled to Mumbai to have a meeting with representatives of Kalpavriksh
and the Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS), two of the petitioners, on 24
December, 2001 and met with the Minister and officials of the Ministry of Environment
and Forests, Government of India, on 4 January, 2002.
II.
STRUCTURE OF THE REPORT
The report, along with the annexes and maps are in Volume I. The conclusions and main
recommendations are summarised at the start of the report.
Volume II contains copies of the data that were sent by the Andaman and
Nicobar (ANI) administration, copies of the memoranda submitted by the ANI
administration, the Member of Parliament from ANI, the ANI Forest Plantation and
Development Corporation (ANIFPDC), the various petitioners and the forest workers
union. It also contains copies of various documents relied upon as a part of this study, the
correspondence with various government departments and a list of people who made oral
submissions during the ANI visits.
Volume III contains copies of all the other petitions and memoranda received
while visiting ANI.
13
III.
PROFILE OF THE ISLANDS
Location and Area: The Andaman and Nicobar group of islands is situated in the Bay of
Bengal, between peninsular India and Mayanmar. It is located between 6° 45” and 13°
41” North latitudes, and
92° 12” and 93° 57” East
*•<-0
laubtaii
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longitudes. Arranged in an
AAlbAMAjJ
arc from the north to the
i Hi,K£OU6AM It
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south, there are 349
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islands, which can be
•a«ATAM»
distinguished into two
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groups geographically
o
Islands located north of 10°
s&v T
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**
DUNCAN
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Andaman group of islands
while the rest belong to the
Nicobar group.
T£ Kf
The northernmost
MKOCAA It
point (Land-fall island) is
about 901 km away from
the mouth of Hoogly River
TlLLi\NC»ON^ A*
rixtttA
and about 190 km from
>. C)
Myanmar. The
southernmost island is
Great Nicobar, whose
southern most tip is only
f\i.K>A0ATA. It
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it
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about 150 km away from
Sumatra, Indonesia. The Capital of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands is Port Blair, which
is 1255 km from Kolkata, 1190 km from Chennai and 1200 kms from Vishakhapatnam
The Union territory has two districts viz. Andaman and Nicobar.
14
I
There are 325 islands in the Andaman group while the Nicobar group has 24
islands. Total geographic area of Andaman and Nicobar Islands is 8249 sq. km., of
which, the Andaman group of islands cover 6408 sq. km., while the Nicobar group covers
1841 sq. km. The recorded forest area is 7170.69 sq km (86.93%) and the actual forest
cover is 7606 sq km (92.2%).
Out of the total 349 islands only 38 islands are inhabited, 24 in the Andaman
group and 12 in the Nicobar group.
There are 547 villages in this Union Territory, of which 504 are inhabited and the
remaining 43 are uninhabited. Of these, 355 villages (334 inhabited and 21 uninhabited)
are in Andaman district and the remaining 192 villages (170 inhabited and 22
uninhabited) are in the Nicobar district. [District Census handbook of Andaman District,
1991]
Geography and Geology: These islands are the summits of a submerged mountain range
lying on the great tectonic suture zone extending from the eastern Himalayas along the
Mayanmar border to the Arakan and finally Sumatra and Lesser Sundas.
The physiography of these islands is characterised by undulating topography and
intervening valleys. There are, however, some flat islands like Car Nicobar and Trinket.
There are no major perennial fresh water rivers in these islands except Kalpong in
North Andaman and Alexendra, Dagmar and Galathea rivers in Great Nicobar. There are
several rain fed streams, which dry up during summer. The coastline of these islands
forms a large number of bays, lagoons and serpentine creeks, and has a length of about
1962 km. At several places tidal creeks penetrate far inside the land and form outlets for
fresh water streams.
Two islands of volcanic origin are found here- the Narcondum and the Barren
Islands. The former is now apparently extinct while the latter is still active. [Andaman
and Nicobar forest Department Report ]
Soil: Soil cover is rather thin, varying from 2m to 5m. It is mostly alluvial on hilltops
while diluvial in ridges and valleys. The coastal flats have an admixture of sand, silty
clay and diluvial material with fine fragments of coral lime. The soil is, in general, mild
to moderately acidic with high humus on top. [Andaman and Nicobar forest Department
Report ]
15
I
Climate: These islands have a tropical climate, which is warm, moist and equable. The
temperature ranges from 18° C to 34° C. The proximity of the sea and the abundant
rainfall prevent extremes of heat. An average of 3000 mm per year is received from
southwest and northeast months. Humidity is high varying from 66 to 85%. In normal
conditions the wind speed is fairly constant (5 knots per hour) but during cyclonic
weather it may go as high as 12 to 13 knots per hour. [Andaman and Nicobar forest
Department Report ]
Demography: The population of these islands as per the last three censuses is shown in
the following table.
Population
1981
1991
2001
| Andaman District
157,821
241,453
314,239
Nicobar District
30,433
39,208
42,028
188,254
280,661
356,265
Total
The table above shows that the population is growing at a rapid pace. This increase is
mainly due to the immigration of people from mainland. The density of population in
ANI is about 43 persons per sq. km (All India: 324). Population is mainly dominated by
settlers from mainland. Tribal population constitute only 9.45% of the total population.
Main occupations of people include agriculture, animal husbandry, fishing, forestry and
plantations, construction, transport, trade and commerce. [Andaman and Nicobar forest
Department Report and Census of India 2001]
IV.
IMPORTANCE OF A&N BIODIVERSITY
The Andaman and Nicobar Islands are an internationally acknowledged hot spot for
biodiversity. This is despite the fact that there have been very few intensive studies in
these Islands and many of the species still remain to be discovered or identified.
However, even the little that is known is enough to establish the very high biodiversity
value of these islands.
The fact that these islands have a relatively small population and low population
density, and that they are remote and difficult to access, makes them one of the last places
in India where, with a little effort, biodiversity can be effectively conserved, and that too
without serious adverse impacts on the local inhabitants.
16
ANDAMAN & NICOBAR ISLANDS BIODIVERSITY AT A GLANCE
•Plant diversity:
-About 2500 flowering plants described
-14% (223 spp.) are endemic- found no where else in the World - and 40% of
non-endemics have only extra-lndian distribution
•Animal diversity:
-5100 animals described (100 freshwater, 2100 terrestrial and 2900 marine)
-Coral reefs richest in India-179 spp.
-Mammals- 52 spp of which 33 are endemic (63%), Birds- 244 spp of which 96
are endemic (39%) and Reptiles -76 spp of which 24 are endemic (32%)
(Source: ANI Forest Department Presentation)________________________
Animal Life
Nature has endowed these islands with a unique and varied animal life both on land as
well as in sea. Faunal distribution in these islands is influenced by fauna of both IndoChinese and Indo-Malayan regions. Large mammals are absent in both Andaman and
Nicobar Islands. Geographic Isolation of these islands has resulted in high degree of
endemism. The surrounding seas are equally rich in marine biodiversity. Endemism is
more pronounced in land animals.
Faunal diversity and endemism in A & N Islands
Animal
Group
Terrestrial
Fauna
Mammalia
Aves_____
Reptilia
Amphibia
Mollusca
Arachnida
Hemiptera
Diptera
Coleiotera
Lepidoptera
Isoptera
Odonata
Annelida
Total______
Marine
Fauna_____
Mammalia
Reptilia
No. of special
Subspecies
__55__
~ 246
~ 76
-_18_
~ 110
' 94
146
~ 214
' 878
' 426
_40__
' 36
' 30
' 2,366
7
12
17
No. of
Endemics
Endemism
32
99
24
3
77
38
22
24
92
52
19
4
9
495
61.5
40.2
31.6
16.7
70.0
40.4
15.0
11.2
10.5
12.2
47.5
11.1
30.0
20.92
%
Animal
Group_______
Pisces_______
Echinodermata
Mollusca
Crustacea
Polychaeta
Anthozoa
Porifera______
Meiofauna
Total
!!
No. of special
Subspecies
1,200
350________
1,000_______
600________
184________
326________
72_________
490________
4,241
No. of
Endemics
2_______
4_______
18______
6_______
4_______
2
1.0______
2,2______
0.6
102
138
21.0
0.11
%
Endemism
0.2______
0.4
1.9______
Mammals: Out of 55 terrestrial and 7 marine mammal species reported so far, 32 species
are endemic. Common mammals found here are Andaman Wild Pig, Crab eating
macaque, Andaman masked palm civet. Dugong, Dolphin, Whale, Spotted deer,
Andaman spiny shrew, Nicobar tree shrew, Andaman horse-shoe bat, Lesser short nosed
bat, elephant etc.
Birds: The rich avi-faunal diversity has always attracted ornithologists and bird watchers
to these islands. As many as 246 species and sub species of birds are reported to inhabit
these islands and of these 99 species and sub-species are endemic. Some important
species are Andaman Teal, Megapode, Narcondum hornbill, Nicobar pigeon, Green
Imperial Pigeon, Nicobar Parakeet, Crested serpent eagle, White-bellied sea eagle,
Edible-nest swiftlet, Emerald dove etc.
Reptiles: Sandy Beaches of these islands are famous for turtle nesting. There are 76
terrestrial reptiles. Of these 24 species are endemic. Important species include four main
species of sea turtles viz., Leatherback turtle, Green sea turtle, Hawksbill turtle, and Olive
Ridley turtle. Also found is the Salt-water crocodile, Water monitor lizard, Reticulate
Python, sea snakes and many other varieties of snakes including King Cobra.
Corals: ANI are the richest of the Indian region in coral diversity with as many as 179
species covering 2000 sq km. Coral reefs are important breeding and nursery ground for
fish and many other organisms and have been aptly called “The Tropical Rain forests in
the Sea”.
Marine Life: Due to its long coastal stretch, these islands have a very rich marine
biodiversity. They harbour more than 1200 species of fish, 350 species of echinoderms,
1000 species of molluscs and many lower forms of life. Among vertebrates, dugongs,
18
dolphins, whales, salt-water crocodiles, sea turtles, sea snakes etc. are common. (Source:
Andaman and Nicobar Islands: Forests and Environment, Department ofEnvironment
and Forests, ANI Administration, March 2001)
THE STATE OF THE FOREST AND OTHER ALLIED MATTERS
V.
Given the unique biodiversity values in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands (ANI) and
their extreme ecological fragility, the major objective of forest and ecosystem
management in these Islands should be biodiversity conservation. The other objectives
that need to be concurrently kept in mind are:
a. Protection of ecological services, like soil and water conservation.
b. Provision of timber and non-timber products for local use.
c. Protection of the habitat of the forest based tribals of the Islands.
d. Recreation.
The fact that ANI has a preponderance of evergreen and semi-evergreen tropical
rain forests makes the conservation of forests from the point of view of both biodiversity
and ecological services particularly important. Rain forests are not only the richest
biodiversity pools in the world but are also very fragile. Most of the nutrients are in the
vegetation and the forest litter and the soils are usually shallow. The slightest disturbance
of the forest leads not only to significant loss in biodiversity but also to aggravated water
runoff and soil erosion. The erosion of soil depletes the land and adversely affects the
marine ecosystem, which receives the eroded soil. This is especially true of the ANI,
where the topography is undulating and rainfall high. The fact that most forestry
operations are carried out so as to finish just before the monsoons further aggravates the
?
situation, as the soils that have been disturbed by the forestry operations do not have time
to stabilise before torrential rains wash them out to the sea. Consequently, the coastal and
marine ecosystem, including the very rich corals reefs and other marine life, gets badly
affected.
The loss in floral biodiversity has an effect on the faunal biodiversity, affecting
species of insects, birds, mammals, reptiles and others. This, in turn, also affects the
coastal and marine biodiversity.
Keeping this in mind, the major threats to the forests and other ecosystems of ANI
are outlined below.
19
I
A.
COMMERCIAL FORESTRY
One of the major threats to the biodiversity of the forests of ANI is the stress on
commercial forestry. For over a hundred years the forests have been subjected to
increasing commercial exploitation. The forest department currently follows a
conversion forestry system where natural forests are worked, commercial species
extracted and the worked forests regenerated and managed in a manner such that there is
a resultant preponderance of commercial species for future harvesting. In the process,
biodiversity is destroyed deliberately. For example, the Working Plan for The Forests of
Little Andaman Islands (1999 to 2009) states.
“Measures to Attain Special Objectives of Management: It is Proposed to
attain the special objectives of management by adopting a suitable natural
regeneration technique, supplemented by artificial means wherever necessary,
without any deterioration in the site quality, so that the natural forests of
Evergreen, Semi-Evergreen and Deciduous types are converted into forest areas
containing a higher percentage of more valuable timber species thus increasing
the productivity and potential value of these forests. In such places where natural
regeneration technique does not result in adequate stocking, it is augmented by
dibbling/broadcastmg of seeds of valuable species like padauk. gurjan, White
Chuglam, Badam etc. and if necessary artificially planting seedlings from nursery
stock.” (Emphasis added. Written By Prakash M. Bhatt, IFS, Deputy Conservator
of Forests,)
Similar passages are found in other working plans of the ANI forest divisions.
What is surprising is that the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) is, even now,
approving working plans with such objectives.
In some areas the natural forests have been totally cleared and replaced with
plantations of padauk, gurjan, teak, or a combination of these and other commercial
species (annex 4).
Forests were also leased out to the private industries and, from 1977, to the Forest
Corporation, to fell and “regenerate”. Though the practice of leasing forests to the private
industry finally stopped in 1990-91, the corporation continues to directly fell and
regenerate forests in Little Andaman and in North Andaman Islands.
20
I
J
Whereas this approach might have been in consonance with earlier thinking about
forest management, for over two decades now the value of conserving biodiversity is well
understood and accepted.
The forests of Andamans have been systematically converted from natural,
biodiversity rich, forests to commercial “plantations” primarily to meet the raw material
demand of the four medium sized wood based industries that were established in the
Islands. These were:
a) WIMCO in South Andaman
b) Andaman Timber Industry (ATI) in South Andaman (Installed capacity 31,160
cum pa)
c) Jayshree Timber Products, Middle Andaman (28,300 cum pa)
d) Kitply Industries Ltd. in Middle Andaman (31,650 cum pa)
Of these, WIMCO closed down some years back and the Andaman Timber
Industry and Jayshree Timber Products closed down recently, for various reasons, though
prior to the Supreme Court order of October, 2001. Only Kitply Industries was still
functioning when the Supreme Court ordered a ban on the felling and processing of all
naturally grown trees.
These industries, apart from getting timber from the forests, have also been
provided a handsome transport subsidy by the government, to bring in materials and to
export their finished products.
The Ministry of Industry, Government of India, had sanctioned a Transport
Subsidy Scheme for the wood based industries in the ANI from 1971. Under this scheme,
90% of the cost of transportation of raw material from the main land to the islands and
90% of the cost of transportation of the finished goods to the mainland was reimbursed to
the medium and small-scale units by the ministry of Industry. This scheme was amended
in 1993 to benefit wood based industries for a period of five years only from the date of
commencement of commercial production.
This scheme was again amended, in 1995, and subsidy continued to be
paid to the units, irrespective of size, beyond the stipulated 5 years, from March 1995 to
March 2000. There is now a proposal to further extend this scheme for, it is argued, that
21
such subsidies are necessary to ensure that employment is provided in the forest based
industries. (Source: Note from the Planning Commission -copy at Volume II page 309).
It is interesting to note that while the three industries, ATI, Jayshree and Kitply,
totally employed 1994 persons directly, in the last four years (1997-2001) they drew
transport subsidies from the government of around Rs. 15 crores, with an annual peak of
over 5 crores in just 1999-2000 (For details, see Volume II, page 135-136).
It is questionable, therefore, as to how much, if any thing at all, they contributed
to the local economy.
In fact, the Minutes of the Island Development Authority (IDA)1 meeting of
December, 1986, under the chairmanship of the then Prime Minister, record that:
“ Shri Romi Khosla stated that 75 percent of the timber extracted in the islands is
used for plywood and match factories, and not for construction purposes. In fact,
timber is not used at all as an economic base for durable assets of the Islands.
.. .Large factories are consuming large amounts of timber in ways which only
destroy the inheritance. PM said that such industry should be shut down at the
earliest...” (Proceedings of the first meeting of the IDA, 27 December 1986, para
14).
In January 1989, again under the chairmanship of the then Prime Minister, the
IDA decided that:
"...wood extraction to feed the existing industries should be completely phased
out in the next few years; if necessary, one should even import the wood needed’'
(Minutes of the Fifth Meeting of the IDA, January 1989, item No. 6, ix e)).
The then Inspector General of Forests (now re-designated as the Director General
of Forests) visited the Islands in October 1989, and also recommended that:
"Timber extraction in A&N Islands should be restricted to maximum of 1,15,000
cu.m, which is the current requirement and it should be further reduced in
The IDA was constituted on 8th August, 1986 with tlic Prime Minister as the Chairperson. The members
include the Finance Minister, Deputy Chairman of the Planning Commission and ministers of various other
ministries (transport, tourism, planning, communications, defence, environment & forests, information and
broadcasting, various officials and experts. The functions of the IDA are to (i) decide on policies and
programmes for an integrated development of the Islands (ANI and Lakshadweep) keeping in view all
aspects of environmental protection as well as tlie special techmeal and scientific requirement of the
Islands, and (ii) review progress of implementation and impact of the programmes of development.
22
f
subsequent years by phasing out supply of timber to major wood base industries.”
(Timber Extraction in Andaman & Nicobar Islands, AG Oka, 1989).
Despite this, the Ministry of Environment and Forests and the A&N
Administration, after affecting an initial decline in extraction levels from 1,23,678 cum in
1988-89 to 1,03,660 cum in 1990-91, again raised the level of extraction to 1,35,523 cum
in 1994-95 (annex 5). Considering there was no subsequent decision of the IDA or the
Prime Minister, reversing the earlier decision, it is not clear on what basis this was done.
Fortunately, with the closing down of three of the wood based industries, the extraction
levels have now come down.
In addition, timber is also being supplied to the two government saw mills, one in
Chatham, South Andaman (installed capacity 24,000 cum pa) and one in Betapur, Middie
Andaman (5000 cum pa) (Source: AN I administration, copy at Volume II page 204).
Some of the timber sawn is being exported to the mainland. This is mainly sold in
Chennai and Kolkata. The ANI administration maintains depots in these two cities for
selling the timber it exports. However, the quantity of sawn timber exported by the
administration has not crossed 1000 cum pa for the last 10 years and has fluctuated
between 130.77 cum in 1998-99 to 868 cum in 1991-92 (Source: ANI administration,
Volume II, page 152).
Locally, timber is used by small-scale sawmills, which numbered about 35 in
-001, with a total installed capacity of around 60,000 cum per annum and an operating
capacity of about 25,000 cum pa (annex 6). In addition, there are also over 130 small
furniture manufacturers using about 1600 cum of sawn timber (equivalent to about 3000
cum of logs) per year. Much of the timber processed by these two categories is for
domestic use, though a small proportion (614 cum in 2000-01) is sent out to Chennai and
Kolkata (annex 7).
Only the government saw mills are permitted to saw padauk, the major hardwood
in the Islands. This is reportedly being done in order to prevent theft of padauk from the
forests. However, as the government saw mills are located only in South and Middle
Andaman, the availability of such hardwoods to the people in other parts of the Islands is
a problem.
23
As a result of the commercial orientation of forestry in the Islands, at present
nearly 60% of the exploitable forests (excluding the tribal reserve and protected areas) in
South Andamans, Mayabandar and Baratang, have already been “worked” and exploited
and, consequently, their natural profile significantly changed and their biodiversity value
compromised, perhaps forever. Though the ANI forest department have stated that the
total area of forests that they work is only 30%, this includes the area of the numerous
outlying islands, mostly very small (see list of national parks and sanctuaries at annex 8).
Given the nature of island ecology, the biodiversity values of the larger islands are much
higher, by and large, than those of small islands of usually 1 sq km or less. Though this is
an accepted scientific fact, the actual position in the ANI does not seem to have been
studied in detail. The only study that could be found was by Dr Priya Davidar of the
Salim Ali School of Ecology and Environmental Sciences. She states.
“ ....forests on large islands are very important in the conservation of biodiversity.
All the 47 species of forest birds and 57 species of butterflies (out of a total of 65 species
recorded in this survey) were recorded on islands larger than 30 sq km in area. Islands
smaller than 1 sq km had records of 36 species of forest birds and 39 species of
butterflies. On islands smaller than 0.1 sq km, in area, only 20 species of forest birds and
21 species of butterflies were recorded” (‘Conservation Priorities for the Andaman and
Nicobar Islands’, Journal, Bombay natural History Society, 93(3), December 1996, p 556
-copy at Volume II, page 277).
Therefore, though many of these small islands, which are in any case mostly
inaccessible and therefore not economically viable to work, have been excluded from the
“working circle”, much of the larger islands, which are far richer in biodiversity, have
been worked. Also, in terms of ecological services, like soil and water conservation, the
larger islands are far more vulnerable as they are the ones where a majority of the
population resides.
In all these areas the vast majority of non-commercial species have either
disappeared or their composition been significantly changed. Though enough evidence of
this exists, there appear to be very few studies documenting exactly what changes have
actually occurred and what species have been lost or decreased in distribution and
number. The two studies found dealt with just tree species. One is an unpublished MSc
24
dissertation of Sonali Pandit, of the Salim Ali School of Ecology and Environmental
Sciences, Pondicherry University, (^Regeneration ofImportant Rainforest Tree Species in
Virgin and Selectively Logged Sites in the South Andaman Islands, not dated). This
dissertation was based on a field study of three sites in South Andaman, one that was
undisturbed, and the other two that had been worked, of which one was regenerated from
1955 and the other from 1986. According to this study, there were major differences
between the composition of the first, undisturbed, patch and the remaining two. Most
notable was the fact that the undisturbed site had a predominance of rare, non
commercial species, while in the latter two these had almost disappeared and the
preponderance was of commercial species (annex 9).
The second study, done by the Forest Survey of India (FSI) of the Ministry of
Environment and Forests, Government of India, also suggested a similar decline in
biodiversity (copy at Volume II, page 36-53).
During the second visit to Andamans, the forest department organised for me a
visit to what was presumably a good regeneration site. This was a forest ‘‘regeneration”
site of 1951, in South Andaman. This visit also revealed that the regenerated area had a
preponderance of commercial species and that the species composition had drastically
changed from its natural profile (forest department report at annex 10).
Recommendations
Forest Harvesting
1) Felling of trees and collection of non-thnher forest produce (NTFP) should he
bannedfrom the forests of Little Andaman Island and all tribal reserves except
for i) collection ofNTFPfrom already workedforests of Little Andaman and
from forest areas designatedfor the purpose in the Nicobar group of Islands,
for meeting the legitimate consumption of local inhabitants; and ii) collection
of timber and other forest produce by tribals living within tribal reserves for
meeting their bonafide needs.
2) Harvesting of allforest produce including timber and NTFP should he
completely prohibitedfrom National Parks and Sanctuaries.
3) In addition to areas covered under 1 & 2 above, no felling of trees should be
allowed in any unworkedforest area, i.e., area where felling of trees as per
25
working plans, working schemes, felling schemes or approved working plans,
has not taken place earlier. There should also be no diversion offorestland
from any such unworked area orfrom areas covered under 1 and 2 above,
without the specific orders of the Supreme Court.
4) No felling of trees for whatsoever reasons or justification should be carried out
to supply to, or to meet the raw material requirement of, plywood, veneer,
blockboard, match stick or any other such wood based units except to local
small-scale units (including san’ mills) solely for meeting the local requirement
for sawn timber and other wood based products.
5) For meeting the timber and otherforest produce requirements of inhabitants of
the ANI, felling of trees from forest areas not covered under 1,2 & 3 above, i.e.,
forest area worked earlier in accordance with working plans, working schemes,
felling schemes or approved working plan and excluding areas falling within
national parks, sanctuaries, tribal reserves, or Little Andaman, may be allowed
Such felling may be undertaken as per prescriptions of the working plans
approved by the MoEF. These plans should also contain action plans for
removing, in a phased manner, trees of commercial species that are in number
or concentration in excess of what is found in a naturalforest of the same type
and similar location. Concurrently, efforts should be made to bring back the
forest to its natural profile by encouraging /reintroducing those species of
fauna andflora that naturally occurred in these forests prior to their being
converted . The working plan should also contain sufficient provisions for
regeneration offelled areas. In accordance with an earlier Supreme Court
order of 22nd September, 2000, felling of trees should be allowed only it
sufficientfinancial provisions for implementing the working plan prescriptions
have been made.
6) In the meanwhile, the present ban on felling of trees may he continued and the
local requirement of timber and otherforest produce may he met by utilising the
already felled trees and sawn timber lying with theforest department and the
ANIFPDC.
26
7) Once the stock of alreadyfelled trees and sawn timber is depleted, the local
requirement of timber should be met, as far as possible, by harvesting the mono
culture and mixed plantations ofpadauk, gurjan, teak and other species. The
felling of trees from already worked naturalforest, as specified in 5 above,
should be undertaken only to meet the balance requirement However, if the
local requirement of timber and otherforest produce is more than what could
be obtained by felling ofplantations and sustainably extracting trees from
worked areas, as specified in 5 above, the same may be met by bringing timber
in from other parts of the country. Under no circumstances should the over
harvesting of theforest available forfelling under para 5 above be permitted or
undertaken.
8) There should be no expansion of monoculture or commercial plantations on
forestland The existing plantations of oil palm, rubber and teak are reportedly
no longer viable and should be phased out The land so released should, in so
far as it is forestland, be regenerated as specified earlier. Consequently, the
Andaman and Nicobar Islands Forest Plantation and Development Corporation
Ltd. (ANIFPDC) should be wound up as it was primarily set up to promote
commercialforestry and plantations, especially in Little Andaman.
9) At the same time, efforts should be made to reduce the level of demandfor
timber andforfirewood For the purpose, the A&N Administration should
investigate and implement methods of achieving this, including the conversion
to the wood and bamboo based “Assam type” construction, which is both less
timber intensive, and safer in earthquakes, than the present all-timber or RCC
buildings.
Wood Based Industry
10) There should be a complete ban on the establishment of any neiv wood based
unit for the next 10 years.
11) All existing small-scale wood based units (saw mills) should be relocated within
industrial estates or, where industrial estates are notfeasible, in locations
contiguous toforest offices or otherwise convenientfor theforest department to
monitor. This relocation should be completed within one year, after which the
27
non-complying saw mills should be closed down. These saw mills should also
be required to obtain a licence from the ANI Forest Department within three
months and to maintain such records as may be prescribed by the forest
department Their licence may be renewed every year at the discretion of the
ANI Forest Department, after the department has satisfied itself that a) the unit
was not involved in the use of any illegal timber; b) the prescribed records were
properly maintained; c) all provision of the act, rules and the terms and
conditions stipulated by theforest department from time to time have been
complied with. Necessary rules, guidelines etc., for the purpose, should be
prescribed by the forest department within three months.
12) No subsidy of any type, including transport subsidy, should be given to any
wood based unit.
13) Existing medium and large scale wood based industries (including plywood,
veneer, and match industries) can be allowed to function provided they import
their entire requirement of wood and otherforest based raw materials from the
mainland orfrom abroad No subsidies should be allowed to them
14) No timber, either as logs or as sawn timber or plywood/veneer, or in any other
form, should be transported out of the Islands through any means whatsoever.
This should not, however, inhibit the transportation, as personal baggage, of a
reasonable quantity of wooden handicrafts by tourists or ofpersonal articles by
those permanently leaving the islands. Also, where a wood based industry, as
specified in 13 above, imports its entire wood andforest based raw material
requirement, then it should be permitted to export its finished product
B.
USING UNTREATED TIMBER FOR CONSTRUCTION
Another factor contributing to an increasing demand of timber is the fact that most of the
timber used in the Islands is not treated prior to being used for construction purposes.
This results in its having a very short life, requiring replacement every three or four
years. Despite the fact that the then Inspector General of Forests, Government of India,
had recommended way back in 1989 that: “No timber should be used without proper
preservative and seasoning treatment to prolong the life of timber” (Oka 1989), the
current installed capacity for treating timber is only 1,900 cum per annum. (Annex 11),
28
which is far below the local requirement of treated timber, estimated to be around 5 to 10
thousand cum per annum. Treated timber has a life that is reportedly ten times greater
than that of untreated timber. Therefore, by treating all timber, the demand should come
down ten fold.
Recommendation
15) All timber, bamboo and cane usedfor construction and requiring treatment in
order to extend its durability and life, should be so treated and the
administration should ensure that requisite capacity to treat all such timber is
in position within a period of six months. After the expiry of this period, no
timber, bamboo or cane of the type requiring treatment should be soldfor use in
building and construction activities, or usedfor such purpose, unless it has
been appropriately treated
c.
ENCROACHMENTS
Another major threat to the forests of the Islands is because of encroachment of forest
areas. The A&N Administration had already identified and regularised the forest
encroachments of 1367 families who had encroached up to 1978, on over 2500 ha. of
forestland. They were to be regularised/resettled in one hectare land each and 1367
hectares of forestland had, with the approval of the MoEF, been denotified in 1988 for
the purpose. However, a large proportion of the families that had to be shifted have not
been shifted to their designated sites. Therefore, they continue to occupy forestland and
to further expand and degrade their holdings (Source: ANI administration. Volume II,
pages!71- 173, 71-76). There is no obvious reason why these families have not yet been
shifted, despite decisions in the IDA and other bodies to this effect.
Meanwhile, many of the families who continue in, or have been shifted to, their
designated sites of 1 ha each have, reportedly, encroached additional land and are now
sitting on areas far in excess of those allotted to them. Concurrently, those families who
have not yet been shifted continue to reside in forest areas on sites that are mostly much
larger than 1 ha and often progressively increasing.
Besides, reportedly some of the families originally identified as pre 1978 have
now moved away and in their place new families have settled on their encroached land.
These families are reportedly now claiming pre-1978 status.
29
In addition, an estimated 2325 families have encroached subsequent to 1978 on
26j3.654 ha of forestland (details at annex 12). These have now been identified though
little action seems to have been taken to remove them from the forest areas.
Unfortunately, many of these encroachments are in some of the last remaining
natural lowland forests in North Andaman. Also, they appear to each be growing in size
and collectively growing in numbers (Aerial pictures of encroachments in the forests of
Diglipur, North Andaman, enclosed from page 47 onwards. Maps of encroachments at
annex 13-18)
Recommendations
7 6) Any further regularisation of encroachments onforestland in any from,
including allotment/use offorestlandfor agricultural or horticultural purposes,
should be strictly prohibited
17) All those families who have been identified as having encroached on forest land
prior to 1978 and have not yet shifted to their allotted rehabilitation sites,
should be given three months notice to vacate their encroachments and shift to
the allotted land Failing this, their allotment should he cancelled and they
should be forcibly evicted within three months of the deadline being over,
without any further claim to land or any other form of rehabilitation,
18) Similarly, those among the pre-19 78families that have shifted to their allotted
sites but have occupied more land than they were entitled to, should also be
given three months notice to vacate the extra land occupied by them. On the
expiry of this notice period, the allotments of those who have not complied with
this notice should he cancelled and they should be forcibly evicted within three
months, w;thout any further claim to compensation or land
19) All post 1978forest encroachments should be completely removedforthwith
and, in any case, within six months. Post 1978 encroachers (exceptforforeign
nationals) should he allotted homesteads in revenue land and training and
opportunity' for self-employment orfor other types of livelihood activities
provided
20) The forest officials in the AN1 should he given requisite powers to do this,
including:
30
i
£
•
Power of summary eviction of encroachments: As in the case ofMadhya
Pradesh, vide Section 80A, IFA, 1927.
•
Magisterial powers to assistant conservators offorests: The Assistant
Conservators of Forests should be appointed as executive
magistrates/special executive magistrates in order to oversee the evictions
carried out by the Range Officers on receipt of orders of eviction from the
estate officers.
21) For the purpose, an effective action plan should he prepared and implemented
under direct supervision, monitoring and control of a committee comprising of
the Lt Governor, ChiefSecretary, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests of
ANI, and reputed local NGO representatives. The ChiefSecretary, ANI, may be
asked to file a monthly progress report in the Supreme Court.
22) In order to prevent any further encroachments and rampant immigration, the
Administration should, within three months, regulate the entry ofpeople to the
islands by having the Islands declared as an inner line area and by imposing
relevant restrictions under section 3 and other provisions of the Environment
(Protection) Act of 1986. In accordance with this, non-residents entering the
islands should have to invariably register themselves so that those who do not
return to the mainland within a reasonable time can be traced and, where they
have illegally encroached on land, can be evictedfrom these encroachments at
the earliest. In addition, entry to the more vulnerable andforested areas of the
Islands should be restricted
23) Once this regulation is in position, the administration should in a time bound
manner issue identity cards to all the residents so that there is no gap in the
period of identification and issuance of ID cards. This would ensure thatfresh
illegal encroachers are easily identified Subsidised travel to the Islands should,
once identity cards have been issued, be available only to bonafide residents of
the Islands.
24) Divisional Forest Officers and, where relevant, village protection committees, as
described later, should be made responsible for prevention, early detection and
quick eviction of neyv forest encroachers.
31
25) The forest department should be strengthened and appropriate village
institutions set up for the purpose, as detailed later.
D
ROAD THROUGH THE JARAWA TRIBAL RESERVE
Perhaps the best remaining natural forests in the Andaman Islands are in the tribal
reserves. The most significant of these are the Jarawa Reserve in South and Middle
Andaman and the Onge Reserve in Little Andaman. Due to the earlier hostility of the
Jarawas, these areas were left alone. However, in recent years the Andaman Trunk Road
has opened up and passes contiguous to and in some cases through the tribal reserve (map
at annex 21). This road, and the increased access to the Jarawas, poses a major threat not
only to the Jarawa tribals but also to the forests that they have protected for so many
years. The road has also made it easier tor encroachments to take place in the forests by
allowing easy access to many forest areas that were earlier not easily approachable.
Interestingly, a high level committee constituted at the behest of the then Prime
Minister. Mrs. Indira Gandhi, had suggested in the early 1980s that, as regards the
Andaman Trunk Road:
“i)
though the absence of any road would be the ideal condition for the
Jarawa, the next alternative would be
ii)
to realign the road so as to orient it as far away from the boundary for the
Jarawa Reserve as possible/’
Recommendation
26) The Andaman Trunk Road should be closed to all vehicular traffic from
Miletilak in South Andaman to the northern boundary of the S. Andaman
Island Similarly, it should be closed to all traffic from Kadamtala
(corresponding to Prolobjig camp No.3) in Middle Andaman up to Kaushalya
Nagar (corresponding to Porlobjig camp No. 15). This should be done within
three months. Further, no person except for the Jarawas living in the Reserve
should be allowed to enter the Reserve by any means unless he/she is permitted
by the Principal Chief Consen ator of Forests, and the Secretary, Tribal
Welfare, ANI Administration, and no such permission should be granted unless
the person is proceeding on bonafide work related to the welfare of the tribals
or the protection of the area.
32
E.
DIVERSION OF LAND AND FELLING OF TREES FOR DEVELOPMENT
PROJECTS AND ACTIVITIES
From time to time the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) has been granting
permission under the Forest Conservation Act for the diversion of forestland for non
forest uses. Naturally grown trees are also being cut for various purposes including for
the development of tourist and defence infrastructure. However, there appears to be no
land use plan for the Islands and clearances seem to be given on a case by case basis
without determining the optimality of the land use and the future options that such a
clearance could compromise.
The defence forces have recently constituted a combined command of the Navy,
Air force and Army, in the Islands. However, there appears to be no clear understanding
of how much land they would require and how many trees need to be cut in the process.
There have been requests from them for allowing the felling of over a thousand trees for
clearing approaches to runways and for other such requirements. However, no one was
able give a consolidated picture of the requirements Though efforts were made on both
the visits to talk to the armed forces representatives on this matter, they were not
available.
Reconi mendations
27) The felling of 27 trees for the 33 KV transmission line from Bamboo Flat to
Minnie Bay, and 17 trees for construction of rural roadfrom Adajig to Flat Bay
Village should be permitted as a one-time relaxation, as these projects are
already in their final stages, a small number of trees are involved and,
$
reportedly, necessary clearances had been obtainedfrom the MoEF prior to the
Supreme Court’s order of 10.01.01. However, all other proposals or clearances
under the Forest (Conservation) Act of 1980 or the Environment (Protection)
Act of 1986, where diversion of land orfelling of trees or other activities that
would have an impact on the environment, are still to be undertaken, should be
put up for review by the Supreme Court.
28) For the conservation and protection of the forests and other ecosystems, an
effective action plan should be prepared by the ANI Forest Department, in
consultation with local NGOs and experts. This plan should also envisage a
33
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£
I
suitable enhancement of the protected area network, especially in the main
islands of the Andaman and in the Nicobar Group. All unworkedforest areas in
Diglipur, Mayabunder, Middle Andamans and Baratang should be made into
national parks, leaving a buffer belt between the national park boundary and
the edge of revenue settlements, for protection by village protection committees.
In addition, there should be a consolidation of the nearly hundred small island
parks and sanctuaries and they should be constituted into viable units
encompassing the marine areas surrounding them. This plan, after being
approved by the MoEF, should be strictly implemented The necessary funds,
vehicles, equipment, human power, police help and legal power requiredfor the
effective implementation of this action plan should be made available by the
ANI administration.
29) Appropriate regulations under existing Acts like the Environment (Protection)
Act of 1986, with similar objectives as The Delhi Preservation of Trees Act,
1994, currently in force in the Union Territory of Delhi, should be set in place
in ANI, within six months, to regulate the felling of trees on non-forest land.
F.
POACHING
Both the government and the local people reported the incidence of poaching of trees,
other forest produce, wild animals and marine life. It was stated by many of the citizen
groups that poachers from Myanmar and other neighbouring countries also come to
poach timber, sea cucumbers and other species, especially in North Andaman. There are
also local poachers operating in the Islands. The forest department does not appear to
have the infrastructure, especially in terms of manpower, arms and fast boats, to prevent
poaching. Also, they appear not to have requisite powers to deter poaching and
effectively apprehend poachers.
Recommendations
30) The Forest Department should be immediately strengthened in order to be able
to effectively prevent poaching.
31) Forest officers should be given adequate powers, under the Indian Forest Act of
1927 (IFA,) as has been done in other states, to meet the threat ofpoaching.
These could include:
34
•
Power of confiscation: as providedfor vide Section 52, 52A, 52B and 52C
IFA, 1927 in Bihar, Section 52A and 52B in Himachal Pradesh, Section 52,
52A, 52B, and 52C in Madhya Pradesh, Section 62A to 61G of Goa, Section
61a to Section 62G of Gujarat, and Section 61A to 61G ofMaharashtra.
•
Increase in the limitfixedfor amount of compensation for trees under
section 68(3) IFA, 1927: The present limit of Rs. 50 is required to be
increased to Rs. 100007- as in Goa
32) zl co-ordination mechanism should be set up where theforest department, the
civil administration, the Coast Guard and the Combined Defence Command in
ANI can take co-ordinated action against poachers, especially against foreign
poachers.
G.
INTRODUCTION OF EXOTICS
The introduction of exotics is always a threat to ecosystems, but it is a special threat to
Island ecosystems, as is obvious in the ANI.
Over the years, many exotic species of animals and plants have been introduced in
the Islands, some deliberately and many accidentally. Some of those that have had a very
destructive impact on forest regeneration include the spotted deer (cheetal) and the
elephant. The deer, reportedly brought for aesthetic purposes, have proliferated widely
due to the absence of any natural predator in the Islands and have significantly retarded
forest regeneration. The elephants were brought to the Islands by a timber logging
company, which subsequently abandoned them. Reportedly about sixty of them have
become feral and are seriously impacting on the forests in the regions that they are found.
The introduction of dogs and cats, many of which have turned feral, also pose a great
threat to turtle breeding and other indigenous species
There has also been infestation by various exotic species of weeds, which could
prove to be a major deterrent to the regeneration of degraded forest areas, especially areas
freed from encroachment.
The introduction of oil palms in Little Andaman and of teak in various parts of the
islands has also had a significant negative impact. In fact, the areas in Little Andaman
where oil palms were introduced show up clearly as degraded forests in the remote
sensing map prepared by the Forest Survey of India (FSI) (maps at annex 19).
35
i
Recommendations
33) No exotic species offauna orflora should be introduced into the islands.
Accordingly, a suitable set ofguidelines and procedures should be developedfor
the purpose.
34) A time bound action plan should be drawn up to deal with the exotics already
on the island, including weeds, and their removal/eradication should be taken
up on a warfooting, including the translocation of elephants back to the
mainland and the inhibition of breeding, by deer, by darting the alpha males
with anti-fertility drugs, as has been successfully tried in other countries.
H.
COLLECTION AND DISTRIBUTION OF ROYALTY FREE TIMBER AND
NON-TIMBER FOREST PRODUCE
Apart from commercial timber, the forests of these Islands are also providing timber and
NTFP for use by the local people (annex 20). There is also “royalty free” distribution of
timber.
In addition, government departments like PWD (for construction and repairs of roads)
and the defence forces also directly access fuel wood. This not only leads to unregulated
extraction but, in some cases, as along the Andaman Trunk Road, is leading to
perceptible forest destruction.
Recommendations
35) The practice of distributing timber and NTFPfree to settlers should be
discontinued Instead, rural populations should be formed into villageforest
protection committees and, as per the joint forest protection norms prevalent in
other parts oj the country, the amount of timber and NTFP required by village
communities should be given to them on the basis of a memorandum of
understanding, in return for their role in protecting the forests adjacent to their
settlements and in detecting and preventing encroachments.
36) Government departments, including defence and PWD, should be suppliedfuel
wood and other requiredforest produce by the forest department and should not
be permitted to directly collect these from theforests.
37) Concurrent efforts should be made to minimise demandforforest-based
resources. The Administration should encourage the use of sawdust as fuel, as
36
is the practice in many other parts of the country'. They should also investigate
the possibility of replacing firewood as a domestic fuel by gas and consider
giving a one-time subsidy for the purchase of gas stoves and cylinders to the
poor rural population. Adequate supply ofLPG to the Islands should be
ensured on a priority basis.
I.
MINING OF SAND
The erosion of the beaches and the depletion of coastal and marine species all have an
impact on the forests and on the overall ecological status of the Islands. Coastal erosion
affects the forests and degrades them directly. Besides, the complex interaction between
insects, birds and forest plants gets disrupted as soon as there is degradation ofcoasts and
coastal and marine species. Forest working also affects the coastal ecosystem, especially
the coral reefs, by accentuating the flow of silt into the water.
Under the Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) notification under section 3(1) and
section 3(2)(v) of the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986 and rule 5(3)(d) of the
Environment (Protection) Rules, 1986 declaring coastal stretches as coastal regulation
zone (CRZ) and regulating activities in the CRZ, “Mining of sands, rocks and other
substrata materials, except those rare minerals not available outside the CRZ areas;” were
banned. However, a special exception was made for the ANI, as under.
“Provided that in the Union Territory of the Andaman and Nicobar islands,
mining of sands may be permitted by the Committee which shall be constituted
by the Lieutenant Governor of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands consisting of
Chief Secretary'; Secretary, Department of Environment, Secretary, Department
of Water Resources, and Secretary, Public Works Department. Committee may
permit mining of sand from non-degraded areas for construction purposes from
selected sites, in a regulated manner on a case-to-case basis, for a period
up to the 30th September, 2000. The quantity of sand mined shall not exceed
the essential requirements for completion of construction works including
dwelling units, shops in respect of current year and 2000-2001 annual plans.
The permission for mining of sand may be given on the basis of a mining plan
from such sites and in such quantity which shall not have adverse impacts on
the environment.”
37
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1
f
The MoEF has further extended the period up to 30 September, 2002. However,
there is no assessment of the either the general environmental impact on the ecosystem of
the Islands because of the extraction of sand, nor a location-specific assessment of the
impact of extraction on each specific beach/coastal stretch from where such extraction
takes place. Therefore, it is not clear on what basis the MoEF has allowed and continues
to allow the extraction of sand. .
According to the figures supplied by the ANI administration, approximately
2,23,937 cubic metres of sand was officially extracted from the beaches of the Islands in
the three years 1998-2001. 72 beaches around the islands were used for extraction (annex
22). In addition, it is alleged by local people that there is also illegal extraction of sand,
which is considerable.
Sand is primarily extracted for construction purposes. It is undeniable that the
extraction of sand is causing a lot of environmental damage and that this is not a
sustainable method of resource use. However, there appears to be no effort to phase out
the extraction and to move towards other, more sustainable, methods of construction.
Also, as the Islands are located in a high earthquake-risk zone, it is undesirable to
construct concrete buildings there. Alternative construction material is available in the
Islands and the small amount of concrete that still might be needed can easily be made
using rock dust.
Recommendations
38) The extraction of sand should be phased out and no further extension should be
granted after the current extension is over on 30 September, 2002.
39) As already mentioned earlier, alternate materialfor construction, including
treated bamboo and soft woods, should be encouraged as this is less damaging
to the environment and safer in case of an earth quake. Stone dust should be
utilised where use of concrete is essential.
J.
INAPPROPRIATE TOURISM
The ability of the fragile ecosystem of these islands to withstand the impact of tourism is
limited. Apart from disturbance to the forests, there is also disturbance to the marine and
coastal ecosystem, especially to the coral reefs. This can be seen in the Wandoor National
Park where the coral reefs, in the two islands open to tourists (Jolly Buoy and Redskin),
38
have almost totally been destroyed. There is also the problem of water availability,
disposal of garbage, generation of electricity and the construction of other infrastructure.
Also, as most of the food and other goods sold in the Islands are imported form the
mainland and the government pays a hefty subsidy for their transportation to the Islands,
it is unlikely that the expenditure by the tourists for goods and services in the islands,
would result in any net benefit to the economy. In fact, tourists coming by ship are often
a net drain on the economy, as the government subsidy on each passenger ticket is also
very high.
The Islands offer a great potential for high value, low volume, specialised eco-
tourism that can be done with minimal infrastructure and follows the principles of
dispersion and flexibility. Special-interest tourists, wanting to view the unique and rich
biodiversity of the Islands, can be accommodated in wilderness areas in small clusters of
tents with low concentrations in any one place. The location of these tents can be shifted
every two or three years to ensure that no one site is inordinately impacted. Besides, there
can be some ship-based tourism where specialised tourists are taken around in a ship that
anchors at spots of tourist interest and allows day trips in small numbers. In fact, there are
already foreign yachts coming and anchoring in the islands, but very little benefit flows
from them to the local economy (annex 23).
Recommendations
40) No concrete or permanent infrastructurefor tourism should he built on any
forest area in the Islands. Tourist activities inforest areas should he restricted
to tented accommodation or temporary wooden/prefahricated structures that
can be dismantled easily and moved to another site. These areas should remain •
under the control of theforest department who should he responsible for
ensuring that hie quantum and type of tourism is such that it does not in any
way degrade theforests or other ecosystems.
41) A proper eco-friendly tourism plan should he developedfor the Islands within
one year. This plan should also do an economic and a distributional analysis to
highlight how tourism can make a net contribution to the economy of the
Islands and how the economic benefits can be equitably distributed among the
various segments of the local society and generate local employment
39
r?
i
‘y'
—
;
■
•
i
42) Such a plan must be in conformity with the requirementfor conserving the
ecological and cultural integrity of the Islands and not pose a security threat to
this strategically important area.
Miscellaneous Recommendations
43) The forest department and the administration ofANI should make public at the
beginning of each year the proposed uses of natural resources^ including
forests. This detailed information specifying, among other things, uses,
locations, quantum, purpose and users, and giving details of the basis on which
these decisions have been made, should be published in the local news papers
and also made available on a web site to be maintainedfor the purpose by the
administration. At the end of each year, actual use, deviations from the
proposals and the reasons thereof, must also be similarly made public.
44) The various forest working plans/protected area management plans should also
be made accessible to the public, as soon as they are approved Copies should be
hept at all public libraries and other accessible places in the Islands. In
addition, copies should be freely made available to the general public, on
demand, after charging actual costs ofphotocopying.
45) All officers of the administration, includingforest officers, should undergo an
orientation training of at least five days, every three years, to acquaint
themselves with the ecological characteristics of the Islands and the options
available for their economic development in an environmentally and socially
sustainable manner. Officers being postedfrom the mainland to these islands
should be so oriented within three months of their posting.
46) The Government of India and the ANI Administration should consider setting
up an Island Development Institute in ANI, that can become a centre of
research, training and education for managing island and coastal ecosystems in
a sustainable manner. This institute could not only cater to national needs but,
over time, also become a regional institution. A proposal to the effect already
exists and was submitted to the IDA many years back. It can be suitably
modified and considered
40
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47) There are many areas that need to be properly researched and many problems
that need innovative solutions. These include:
•
A assessment of the ecological differences between worked and un
workedforests.
•
Methods of returning the worked and encroachedforests to a their
natural state.
•
Methods offurther working forests in a manner that minimises
impact on biodiversity and the environment
•
Methods to consent soil and water.
•
Feasibility ofgenerating energy through non-conventional methods,
including wind and tidal energy.
•
Methods of treating garbage and other pollutants, thereby protecting
the coastal and marine environmentfrom degradation.
•
Methods of using alternate building materials that are
environmentally friendly and sustainable.
These and other required studies should be commissioned on a priority basis so
that theirfindings can be urgently appliedfor the betterment of the islands.
VI.
SOME POSSIBLE IMPLICATIONS OF THE RECOMMENDATIONS
1.
There is likely to be some loss of employment, as detailed below, if these
recommendations were followed.
a. Loss of about 300 jobs if Kitlpy Industries close down as a result of these
recommendations.
b. Loss of about 2000jobs if the Andaman & Nicobar Islands Forest and
Plantation Development Corporation closes down.
c. Loss of some employment (exact quantum not known) due to the ban on
export of timber. However, this is likely to be very small, as very little
timber was being sent to the mainland by private sawmills. In 1998-99 it
was 923 cum, in 99-2000 it was 570 cum and in 2000-01 it was 614 cum.
d. Surplus staff in the forest department due to curtailing of forest working
and extraction.
41
I
e. Some loss of livelihood due to the banning of extraction of sand.
f.
Some loss of road transport related employment due to the banning of
traffic on the Andaman Trunk Road.
g- Need for additional sources of livelihood for about 2300 post 1978 forest
encroachers, once they are removed from the forests.
2.
However, following from these recommendations, there will also be
significant cost saving and additional employment opportunities, as detailed
below.
a. Savings on transport subsidies to the forest based industry to the tune of
rupees five to six crores per year.
b. Savings from the closing down of two forest depots, one in Chennai and
one in Kolkata, reportedly around rupees one crore a year.
C.
Additional employment for setting up forest protection forces.
d. Additional employment in regenerating encroached areas and earlier
worked forests.
e. Additional employment in the shipping sector due to increased ferry traffic
after closing down the Andaman Trunk Road.
There are other relatively untapped or under-utilised areas of employment that
can be developed. Including:
a. Fisheries - especially coastal - with local involvement. Current estimates
suggest that only a small proportion of the fishery potential is being
tapped. The islands have a continental shelf of 16 to 35 thousand sq km
(according to different sources) and an exclusive economic zone (EEZ) of
600,000 sq km., which is 28% of the total Indian EEZ. The total potential
has been variously calculated to be between 12,000 and 1,60,000 tonnes of
fish (Master Plan for Andaman and Nicobar islands for the Development
ofFisheries, Government of India, Ministry of Agriculture, 1989/ just
from the shelf area. However, more recent estimates are between 45,000
and 1,60,000 tonnes pa. According to the ANI administration, the current
levels of harvest are just a fraction of the harvestable potential (Volume II,
page 136).
42
b. Production of goods/food for local use — and the consequent removal of
subsidies for transportation of these goods from the mainland. At present,
almost all the goods for local consumption come from the mainland. Their
transportation, by ship, also costs the government dearly in subsidies.
However, many of these goods can be produced locally. This would not
only promote local employment and save on subsidies, but also cut down
on the requirement for cargo space.
c. Handicrafts. There is great potential for developing artisanal handicrafts
c
industry and this could provide significant additional employment.
d. Swiftlet nest cultivation. This is potentially a very lucrative activity. There
is great demand for swiftlet nests in the nearby Southeast Asian countries,
and 1 kg fetched between Rupees one and two lakhs. A note describing the
potential has been enclosed in Volume II, page 300.
e. Orchids cultivation. This, again, has tremendous potential, as these islands
have a large number of very beautiful and rare orchids.
f.
Spices/ Medicinal plants - without expanding agricultural land. All
official settlers in the islands were given two hectares of flat (valley) land
and two hectares of hill land. Much of this hill land is still forested and its
conversion to agricultural land, apart from not being economically viable,
would also cause significant soil erosion and disrupt the water cycles.
Therefore, this land can be used for activities conducive to soil and water
conservation, like high value spices/medicinal plants. There are many
valuable spices and medicinal plants that are found in the Islands.
o
Eco tourism. This, again, has tremendous potential. High value specialised
ecological tourism can generate a fair amount of local employment at all
levels.
h. Water and soil conservation works. These are desperately needed in the
ANI, which has acute water shortage and is also losing a lot of its topsoil,
thereby disrupting the terrestrial, coastal and marine ecosystem. Existing
schemes of the government of India, like the watershed programme, can
43
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!
1
be extended and strengthened in these islands to both conserve the
environment and generate employment.
4.
Consequently, the potential for additional employment, if properly developed,
is enough to offset any adverse impacts of the recommendations. Besides, if
the Island is developed as a centre of education, research and training in island
and coastal management, as recommended earlier, many additional jobs can
be created. In fact, over time, caution will have to be exercised to ensure that
the requirement for human power in the Islands does not exceed the local
3
supply, necessitating further migration from the mainland.
5.
There is also some concern expressed by the ANI forest department that if
felling in unworked forests was banned then the worked forests and
plantations would not be able to support even the local demands for timber.
However, detailed discussions with the department and a scrutiny of
documents and data brings out the following facts:
a. The total area of worked forests in the Andamans, excluding Little
Andaman, is approximately 1,00,000 ha.
b. Most of these forests were worked in a manner such that only a proportion
of the mature trees of commercial species were extracted and the
immature ones left.
c. Therefore, in each hectare of the worked forests there should now be a
large number of mature trees that were either left behind as mother trees or
that were immature when the logging was done fifty to sixty years ago, but
are now mature and ready for harvesting.
d. As the surplus number of commercial trees, in excess of what would have
been their numbers in a natural forest, have to be removed in order to
allow the forests to return to as close a natural form as possible, the
extraction of these mature trees would serve the dual purpose of providing
timber for local consumption and returning the forests to a near-natural
profile.
e. It has been estimated that at least 10 cum per hectare can be safely and
sustainably extracted from these worked forests, though once working
44
t
plans are made the figure might go up. Therefore, given that the total
available worked forest is 1,00,000 ha, the total availability of commercial
timber would work out to 10,00,000 cum. This would be enough to meet
the local timber demands (calculated at 30,000 cum per year currently, but
likely to go down once timber conservation efforts are put in place) for at
least 30 years, by which time additional timber would have become
mature and harvestable.
f.
In addition. There are over 12,500 ha of plantations of hardwoods done in
the islands (annex 4). It is estimated that these plantations, that in any case
need to be cleared so that the land can be regenerated, will provide 300 to
500 cum per hectare, depending on the species. This would work out to
between 37,50,000 cum to 62,50,000 cum of timber, which would by itself
be enough to meet the local hardwood requirements (calculated to be
about 25,000 cum per annum - for details see Volume II -pace 154-55,
161) for between 150 and 250 years. Needless to say, both in the
plantations and in the worked forest areas, extraction should start first in
the earliest plots and proceed to newer ones so that adequate time is given
for regeneration
6.
The forest department has also expressed a concern that if no export of timber
is allowed to the mainland then this might lead to the artificial manipulation of
timber prices locally and prices would be artificially forced down, as the
forest department would have no option but to sell their timber locally or have
1
it perish. However, considering that the forest department saw mills have a
combined capacity of 29,000 cum pa they could, if required, process all the
timber that is harvested in a year, thereby preventing it from deteriorating.
Besides, once the capacity to treat timber has been enhanced, as
recommended, there should be no danger of any timber being wasted if the
local sawmills do not pick it up. In case timber in any month is not picked up,
felling for subsequent months or seasons could be trimmed to take this into
consideration
45
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t
L
7.
A concern has also been expressed that forests need to be worked in case they
are to remain healthy and “over mature” and dead trees need to be removed.
There is also the view that once a tree reaches a certain age, it has a “negative
increment” and, therefore, must be cut. However, these arguments do not
stand up to scientific scrutiny. Forests have existed and continue to exist in
areas where they have never been “managed” by human beings. There are
many examples of this in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands itself. The
concern for negative increment and for “healthy” forests is a concern that
might be relevant to commercial plantations but is certainly not tenable where
natural fo/ests are concerned. In fact dead trees are as important a part of
natural ecosystems, both as habitat to specialised species of fauna and flora
and an input into the soil, as are live trees.
A&N-SC-Rpt 18.doc
46
T
THE TRIBES OF THE ANDAMAN ISLANDS
[BACKGROUND MATERIAL FOR THE FACT FINDING MISSION]
INTRODUCTION
Development and destruction, change and continuity, traditional and modern, and
civilization and backwardness are two sides of the same com. The history of the world is
a mute witness to the hoary past of the vanquished, the conquered and the subjugated in
the face of the onslaught of civilization. This seems to be true in the case of the tribes of
the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. The indigenous Tribes of the islands seem to be
fighting a losing battle against all the odds of civilization, imported in the islands, ever
since the colonialists’ adventures in the Treasure island’, that could be exploited to the
advantage of the powers-that-be, even at the cost of the original inhabitants of the land.
Unfortunately this story continues even 53 years after the independence of the country. In
fact, the British legacy of ‘colonialism’ has perpetuated with the neo-colonialist forces
operating in the islands with full gusto and vigour that has left the ‘leftover’ tribes
virtually panting for breath and on the verge of extinction. It is a question of time before a
rich living cultural heritage of the Tribes in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands will be a
thing of the past.
This research looks into the painful past and the gory present of the ‘vanishing tribes’ of
the Andaman Islands with a view to raise some pertinent issues that could give them a
lease of new life, of hope and of survival with full human dignity in the third millennium.
This report will attempt to highlight various themes pertaining to the Andaman Tribes as
given below:
1. The land and its people
2. Present Socio-economic and political Scenario in the islands
3. The Surviving Tribes of the Andamans and their Plight
4. Observations based on the available Literature.
2
THE LAND AND ITS PEOPLE
Andaman Islands:
Bhatt (1998:27) classifies the Andaman and Nicobar Islands as “an India outside India, outside the
mainland in the Bay of Bengal, but one which is as much a part of India as any other”. The British took
over the islands and handed them over to India at independence. They had turned the islands into
dreaded islands with its cellular jail for the freedom fighters
who had preferred the violent course.
‘Kala Pani’ (Black Waters, Life Imprisonment) was given to the dreaded criminals in the eyes of the
British. When the Japanese occupied these islands during World War 11, they were symbolically handed
over to Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose’s provisional Government of Free India, the cellular jail was closed
and the prisoners freed. When the British reoccupied the islands after the war, they had no time to open
the cellular jail
Some Indian traditionalists believe that the name Andaman was derived from Hanuman, but this is too
far-fetched to be accepted. There is no historical or literary evidence to suggest that ancient India had
contacts with the Andamans. Even the south Indian kings who set sail to countries in south-east Asia and
led successful expeditions are not known to have taken much interest in these islands (Bhatt, 1998:28).
Even the scholars and anthropologists are not clear about the background of the main tribes of these
islands, namely the Great Andamanese, the Onge, the Jarwa, the Shompen, and the Sentinelese.feg^
aptly said, “Their past remains obscure, the present clearly unpleasant and the future grim, and
uncertain”
We do not have much authentic historical information of Andamans before the 18lh century. But, as
Majumdar (1975:35-38) observes, the geographical situation of the islands is such that it must have been
known to the navigators in this region from a very early period The earliest reference to the Andamans
perhaps occurs in the Geographica, a Greek work on Geography, written by Claudius Ptolemaeus, the
celebrated Greek astronomer, mathematician an geographer of the 2nd century A. D. He mentions a
number of islands whose people went naked and were cannibals. Among these he mentions Bazakata (or
Bazakota) and the ‘Island of Good Fortune’. The account of the Chinese traveller I-tsing (7th century A.
D.) of the ‘Andaban’ is said to represent the Andamans, and the ‘country of the Naked People’ refers to
the Nicobar Islands. The first authentic and detailed account of the Andamans, are from the writings of
two Arab travellers of the 9th century A. D., namely Abu Zaid Hasan and Sulaiman. It is now agreed by
all that the islands Najabalus as called by them, refer to Andamans. Marco Polo, the Venetian traveller
who visited the Andamans on his way to China in A. D 1290, refers to the islands as ‘Angamanain’. A
few European travellers who visited the Andamans have their own accounts. Friar Odoric (1322) ( 'xs
the people of these island “dog-faced, cannibals, also traders'^. Nicolo conti (c. 1440) mentions me
Andamans as ‘Andamania’ which according to him means the “Island of Gold”_. Ceasare Federici
(1569) in Ramusio speaks of the terrible fate of the crews wrecked on the Andamans.Majumdar finds it
difficult to assess the value of the above accounts. However, he observes that in recent years we have
fairly authentic account of the Andamans in (1) the writings of Archibald Blair (2) Col. Syme’s
“Embassy to Ava” and (3-4) R. H. Colebrook’s two accounts, towards the end of IS01 century. The
Calcutta Monthly Register (November, 1790) contains a brief account of the Andamans evidently
written by a member of the Party sent by the Government of India to survey the Andamans. The works
of Mouat (1863), Radcliffe-Brown (1922), and other scholars are also very informative. After the
independence of India Government-sponsored ‘Anthropological Survey of India’ has carried out a series
of surveys followed by some publications. Even if these Government reports are biased in favour of the
Government, they could surely enlighten those who would like to have some background knowledge of
the life and activity in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
3
Geographical Location:
The Andaman and Nicobar Islands are 1255 kms. from Calcutta and 1190 kms. from Chennai, and 580
kms^ From Rangoon. Every year more than a lakh people travel to the islands and from by ship. There
are 572 islands in the archipelago but only 36 are inhabited: 24 in the Andaman group and 12 in the
Nicobar group of islands (Bhatt, 1998:27). Some are too small and with little or no water. The Andaman
group has, at the extreme north, Land Fall Island which is about 900 kms. from the mouth of the Hoogly
river and about 190 kms. from Burma. This island is followed by the three main islands: (i) North
Andaman, (ii) Middle Andaman, and (iii) South Andaman - all of them separated from each other by
shallow seas. This area is known as Great Andaman. Towards South of Port Blair lies little Andaman
Island. Besides, there are many small islands.
These islands are like a pearl necklace in the sea and the extreme eastern point, the Pygmallion Point,
now called the Indira Point is only 154 km. away from Indonesia’s Sumatra island. Humidity in these
islands is very high, around 80 per cent and does not go down below 70 per cent (Bhatt, 1998.27).
These islands are located between 6 and 14 degrees of the North Latitude and 92 and 94 degrees of East
longitude (Bhatt, 1998:41)
HISTORICAL BACKGROUND & ADMINISTRATIVE DIVISION
Penal Settlement in Andamans:
From an early period the British had conceived of an idea of maintaining a penal settlement for Indian
criminal convicts far away from their motherland across the seas. In fact the first settlement of their
dream was the Fort Malborough at Benkoelen, west of Palembang in the Sumatra Island, established in
1787 It was later removed to Penang. Penal settlements were also established at other places like
Malacca. Singapore, Arakan and Tenasserim. A penal settlement was also established in 1789 in the
Andamans and was called Port Cornwallis. It was abandoned in 1796, but was reestablished at Port Blair
in 1858 (Majumdar, 1975:iii).
The Andaman penal settlement was established soon after the Sepoy Mutiny in view of the confinement
ot the prominent rebels who were, in the eyes of the Gox ernment, too dangerous to be allowed to mix
with ordinary criminal convicts. The Wahabi fighters against the British, and the Burmese rebels were
also sent to the Andamans. In view of restricting the political prisoners to solitary confinement the
notorious Cellular Jail was constructed early in the present century. (Majumdar, 1975:iii).
During the Freedom struggle the journalists with seditious writings were confined in the Cellular Jail.
The first batch of the revolutionaries from Bengal convicted in the Alipore Bomb Case in Calcutta High
Court in 1909, were sent to the Cellular Jail. Three batches of revolutionary prisoners were sent there
with occasional intervals. The first internal was due to the general declaration of amnesty on the
occasion of the introduction of new reforms under the Act of 1919. Later, dispatch of prisoners to the
Andamans was suspended under a general decision adopted from time to time to abolish the penal
settlement in the Andamans. At least on three occasions the Government of India formally announced to
abolish the penal settlement but was later compelled to reverse the decision due to various
circumstances. At last the Japanese captured the Andamans on 23 March 1942, during the Second World
War. It was a deathblow to the penal settlement. But when the British reoccupied the Andamans after
the Japanese surrender on 16 August 1945, they finally abolished the penal settlement. A thing of the
past the Andamans penal settlement has now become a major tourist attraction (Majumdar, 1975: iv).
The British interaction with the Aborigines of the Andamans:
According to Majumdar (1975:79) the British were faced with two problems by the creation of the Penal
Settlement: (a) the general policy to be adopted towards the aborigines, (ii) the creation of a suitable
4
machinery of administration to have control over the convicts the regulate the relation between them
and the aborigines.
The British , reports Majumdar (1975:79), “gave due weight and consideration to the problem of the
treatment of the aboriginal peoples of whose very primitive culture and general habit, customs, and
manners they possessed only a general knowledge, somewhat vague in character”. The impression they
had of the aborigines was that even if they were not cannibals they were naked, lived upon raw fish and
flesh, were isolated and hostile to the outsiders. With this type of knowledge as the background, the
British formulated a policy of behaviour for their officials which was sympathetic towards the natives
In fact the Government of India issued instructions to P Walker, the Superintendent of Port Blair:
} ou will adhere strictly to the conciliatory line of conduct which has hitherto been observed toward the
ctbot igines, that you will absolutely prohibit any aggression upon them, and that force on no account be
restored to unless it be absolutely necessary to repel their attacks (Home J., O.C. No. 10, 16 July
1858).
1. To carry out these instructions was not easy. There were clashes between the two. The spirit of
hostility of the aborigines to the British and the Indians can be thus illustrated (Majumdar, 1975:81):
The murder of two English and one Indian officers of a vessel engaged in surveying a small island in
February 1858
3. Two hundred and twenty eight convicts escaped during the months of March and April 1858. Ou^PB>r
these 88 recaptured, the restt were massacred by the aborigines or fell victims to disease and
starvation
4. On March 5, 1858, the midshipman of the brig Nutlah. engaged in survey work, having offended the
aborigines by his conduct, there was an open clash between the aborigines and the men of the vessel
and one of its officers was killed
5 On 25 April 1858, while a survey vessel was cruising near the coast some Andamanese were seen
lighting fire on the beach and a few were engaged in launching a boat. The survey party in the
vessel, without any warning and for reasons best known to them, fired shells on these Andamanese.
The Secretary of State justly observed how “for no offence that that of lighting a fire in their own
woods, or launching a boat in their waters, British officers fired shells and rockets amon» the
islander”.
°
6. On 9"’ June 1858, an unarmed party of sailors was suddenly
suddenly attacked
attacked by
a
number
of
by a number of the
the
Andamanese armed with bows and arrows, but none was killed in the attack.
9
Majumdar observes that only the British version of the above incidents based on the report of the loc ’
officials were available and they were highly coloured in favour of the British. Though P. Walker, the
Superintendent of Port Blair was instructed to adopt a “conciliatory approach” towards the aborigines,
he came to the conclusion that there was not a “slightest chance of being able to effect anything with
them by a conciliatory policy”, and so he adopted a policy of “coercion and chastisement or “a policy of
blood and iron” towards the Andamanese (Majumdar, 1975:81). Consequently, on 5111 July 1858,
Lieutenant Templer of the Indian navy on duty in Andamans chased some canoes of the Andamanese
when an aborigine in one canoe tried to get away from the armed boat of the settlers. Naturally the
Andamanese in his fright, shot an arrow on the party which was returned with fire, killing the
unfortunate man. Three canoes were seized by Templer who rushed to the encampment of the
Andamanese near the beach where several huts were destroyed by his men. In this action five or six
Andamanese were killed. After obtaining permission from Walker, Templer destroyed about forty huts
of the Andamanese.
Thus due to the faulty policy of P. Walker there were so may skirmishes and even armed attacks. The
aborigines felt threatened as the aliens were penetrating into their territories. As a i™L
J aborigines
‘
result the
carried out a series of organized, pre-meditated, unprovoked attacks on the British and--------Indians3 in quick
succession during the months of April and May 1859 (Majumdar, 1975:82-83).
I
5
, The first attack on 6 April 1859, when 248 convicts at work, by about 200 aborigines armed with bows
and arrows. Three convicts were killed, one was wounded and died the next day, and five more or less
severely wounded with arrows.
•
•
The second attack on 14 April 1859. About 1500 aborigines armed with small axes and knives, bows
and arrows, attacked two divisions of convicts about 446 in number. They killed three and severely
wounded six of the convicts. The twelve convicts in fetters were carried away by them and were
never heard of again.
On May 17. 1859 the attack by the aborigines attacked the British and occupied the station. When
they were driven out after the arrival of the fresh troops under Lieutenant Warden, they carried away
everything they found of any worth, particularly tools and implements. A small number of
Andamanese were killed and seriously injured. This engagement was later came to be known as the
‘battle of Aberdeen' (Majumdar, 1975:82-83).
When P Walker was succeeded by Captain Haughton, there was a change in the British attitude.
Haughton gave instruction to his people not to attack the Andamanese without any provocation. Despite
his conciliatory7 moves there were a few cases of skirmishes. In the year 1860 things improved with Dr.
Gamack, the Civil Assistant Surgeon of Port Blair who made friendlv gestures to a few men of AkaBea-da tribe on the Chatham Island in Port Blair. Gifts were offered to the aborigines and they were
received. Later on. in spite of the gifts given to them attacks were conducted on the settlement, but now
there was an opening to befriend the aborigines and employ them in the settlement. This process of
earnest efforts of making friendly relations with the aborigines went on which passed through many ups
and downs. Two reasons why the British policy failed were: (i) persistent hostility of certain tribes, and
(ii) outbreak of various types of epidemics among the friendly tribes (Majumdar, 1975:88-90).
The Jarawa continued to be hostile. They are hostile even to this date. On many occasions they attacked
the settlements. It was also observed that those who were friendly with the outsiders got a variety of
diseases.
As far back as 1866. there was a noticeable increase of sickness among the aborigines. Not a single
child out ot one hundred fifty, born in the Andaman Home during 1864 to 1870, lived for more than
two years.
• The aborigines outside the Andaman Home fell victim to malaria that became epidemic due to
clearance of forests.
• The aborigines suffered from the dangerous disease of syphilis, presumably contracted from the
convicts in charge of the Home.
• Even the children suffered from hereditary syphilis. The whole race was faced with extinction and
the Government confessed that it was beyond its power to check it.
• Syphilis did not stand alone. Other sicknesses followed in quick succession. First came the epidemic
of opthalmia which broke out in July 1876. It lasted for about six months and made many aborigines
partially or entirely blind. The measles broke out in March 1877, and this disease was also brought
by the convicts from the mainland. The boys of the orphanage caught it and passed it on to the
aborigines in general Fifty one persons died of this. Attempts were made to segregate the aborigines
affected with measles, but they fled in fear, and even patients fled from hospitals. Thus the disease
spread rapidly and within two or three years half the original inhabitants of the Great Andaman
island and almost the entire population except the Jarawas of South Andaman between Port
Campbell and Middle Strait died of measles.
• Syphilis and measles were the main instruments of destroying the whole race of aborigines in the
Andamans. The work of destruction was accelerated by the epidemic mumps that broke out in
August 1886, and that of influenza in April 1890. The infection of influenza, like that of syphilis was
believed to have been brought by the convicts from India and it spread rapidly throughout the
islands.
• Another disease gonorrhea first appeared in an Andaman Home in July 1892.
•
6
•
By the end of the 19th <century these diseases practically
’ “ exterminated the aborigines of the
Andamans except the two hostile tribes, Onges and Jarawas. The population of none of the twelve
tribes except these two and the Yere exceeded 100 in 1901 and six of them numbered less than 50.
By 1931 even the number of the Yere was reduced to 46.
According to Census 1951 the gradual extinction of the Andamans tribes is shown in the table below
SI. No.
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
_____ 12
Tribe
Chariar
KoraTo
baYere
KedeJu
waiKol
Bojigya
bBea
Balawa
Onges
Jarawa
TOTAL I 4.800
1858
1005002
0070050
0300
1003005
0030070
0600
1.882
Estimated number in
1901
1911
1921
3996 3671621 1748181
48 8034923
0165..
218 6101563 9143462
59
1231
31
48
11
50
37
19
672
585
1,317
786
(Majumdar 1975: 93)
460
1931
9246462
225
1951
0120
3315050
460
233
Commenting on the above census figures Majumdar observes that it cannot be accepted as far as the
Jarawa and the Onges are concerned. For these being hostile tribes living in isolation, it was difficult to
count their number
In 1961 only six of the original tribes existed. There are 4 Negrito tribes in the Andaman Islands. Their
population too was reduced Their number can be shown below;
SI. No.
1
2
3.
4
Tribal community______
Population
Andamanese (other than the 19
three tribes noted below)
500
Jarawas
129
50
Onges
______ Remarks______
Living in Great Andaman along with civilised
population.
(Estimated) living in the Western coast of
Middle & South Andaman.Living in Little
Andaman(Estimated) living in North Sentinel
Island.
Sentinelese
(Majumdar,
1975:94)
7
4 There are 2 Mongoloid tribes in the Nicobar group of islands:!, the Nicobarese2. the
ShompensAdministrative Division:Before the formation of the Andaman and Nicobar districts, the
Union territory of Andaman and Nicobar Islands was a uni-district territory. In the year 1974 the
districts of Andamans and Nicobars were formed vide Andamans and Nicobar Administration’s
Notification No. 110/74/F-15-145/74-J dated 19-7-1974 (Bhatt, 1998:37).Districts with Headquarters:
District
1. Andamans
2. Nicobars
-
Headquarters
Port Blair
Car Nicobar
The Andamans district was constituted with four tehsils:
(1) Diglipur (2) Mayabunder (3) Rangat (4) South .Andaman.
The South Andaman lehsil was further bifurcated into two tehsils in 1975 vide Andaman and Nicobar
administration's Notification No. 106/75/F 40-6/74-J dated 30th October, 1975. The names of the new
tehsils were:
(1) Port Blair, and (2) Ferrargunj.
At the time of 1981 census the district of Andaman comprised five tehsils. A brief account of each of
them will highlight the prospects and the problems of the tehsil:
1. Diglipur tehsil: This consists of 39 inhabited villages spread over four inhabited islands: (a)
Narcondam (b) East © North Andaman (Part), and (d) Smith. This tehsil is located at the northern
most part of the country.
2. Mayabunder tehsil: There are 58 inhabited villages in this tehsil according to 1981 census. These
villages form part of five inhabited islands: (a) North Andaman (Part), (b) East © North Andaman
(Part), and (d) Smith. This tehsil is located at the northern most part ofthe country.
3. Rangat tehsil: This consists of 66 inhabited villages that mainly spread over part of Middle islands.
Falling in this tehsil are: (a) Porlob, and (b) Long islands.
4. Poit Blair tehsil: I his tehsil has the highestt number of 81 inhabited villages among the five tehsils.
These villages are located in 9 inhabited islands: (a) North Passage, (b) Strait, © Baratang, (d) Peel,
(e) Havelock, (f) Neil, (g) South Andaman (Part), (h) Ruthland and (I) Little Andaman. Port Blair,
the seat of the Andaman and Nicobar administration is located in this tehsil.
5. Ferrargunj tehsil: This consists of 76 inhabited villages. All these except one are located in South
Andaman Island (Pail). The other village Viper is located very near South Andaman Island.
Community Development Blocks:
1. North Andaman
2. Middle Andaman
3. South Andaman
8
The Municipal Board: (Bhatt, 1998:47)
•
•
The Municipal Board located in Port Blair runs these Islands. Total number of seats in the Board is
15 of which 11 are elected and 4 are nominated
There are 11 Municipal Wards in Port Blair
• A Pradesh Council has been set up under the Andamans and Nicobar Islands regulation, 1979 ????.
(not in the print)
Th_e__Pradesh Council consists of (i) the Administrator, (ii) the Member of the House of People
representing the Union territory, (iii) the Chairman of the Port Blair Municipal Board and 25 persons
elected or nominated from the areas of the Union Territory^.
•
In addition to these two members are nominated by the Administrator, one belonging to any of the
Scheduled Tribes of Andamanese, Onges and Shorn Pens and one woman, if no woman becomes a
member of the Pradesh Council under any of the foregoing clauses
The Pradesh Council may discuss and make recommendations to the Administrator on the follov ’ g
matters:
matters of the Administration relating to the Union Territory - policy and schemes of development
the five year plans and annual plan proposals for the development
the estimated receipts and expenditure pertaining to the Union Territory to be credited to and to be met
from the Consolidated fund of India.
Proposals for undertaking legislation for the union Territory with respect to any of the matters
enumerated in the State list or in the concurrent List in the 7th Schedule to the Constitution.
Any other matters which the Administrator may refer to the Pradesh Council for consideration and
advice.
Till 11th November 1982 the Chief Commissioner was the administrative head of the Union Territory.
From 12th November 1982, the territory has been placed under the chare of he Lt. Governor. The Union
Territory is represented in Parliament by one elected member to Loksabha.
Parliamentary Constituencies along Assembly segments (1996)
Constituency.
Andaman and Nicobar Islai
Natural Resources in the Islands
Forest:
Nearly 90% of the land in the island is under forests and precious teakwood can be found here. High
rainfall and equable but warm temperatures ensure that vegetation is in abundance. The padauk is the
wood in demand (Bhatt, 1998:28).
Ends here
!
9
w The Andamans and Nicobar Islands abound in forest wealth. Forests are the main source of this
territory’s revenue and are one of the major sources of its economic development. The forests are mostly
tropical evergreen, with more than 200 species of which only fifty-five are of commercial value at
present. Bhatt (1998:39) reports that forestry in this territory dates back to 1883 when there was no
regular working plan. The harvesting of timber then was confined to a few species only, such as Padauk,
Silvergrey and Kokko. Then the only processing unit was the Government Saw Mill at Chatham was
initially established in 1883. Apart from this there was a match-splint factory established in the private
sector by M/s WIMCO in 1929. By 1930-31, more species found their way into the market due to
development of match and plywood industries in the country. Consequently, forestry operations were
intensified. These operations had a setback during the Second World War. But after the British
reoccupied the territory' the operations were resumed once again. The partition of India created problem
for the islands because forests had to be cleared to accommodate the displaced persons for permanent
settlement.
Government of India is responsible for the approval of the working plans and projects for the extraction
of the timber These plans are spread over an area of 540,000 hectares. Timber extraction is done by the
Government agency and also by private contractors. Bhatt (1998.40) reports that the harvested forest
areas are being scientifically regenerated under regeneration schemes for perpetuating tree cover and
also tor increasing the yield. The regeneration is usually done by natural and artificial methods. The
natural regeneration is carried out under the standard Andamanese canopy-lifting Shelter-wood system.
Under this scheme the endemic species of plants are encouraged, by planting such seedlings.
The torests ot the Andaman and Nicobar Islands have been categorized as one of the highest potential
productivity zones in India owing to favourable climate and edaphic factors obtaining in these islands.
The annual sustained stock ot valuable timber has been reckoned approximately 3 lakhs cubic metres. In
addition, it is also estimated that about 4 lakh cubic metres in the form of wood chips would also be
available from non-commercial trees, lops and tops of commercial trees and other leftover material in
the forests (Bhatt. 1998:40).
During the year 1977-78 the Andamans & Nicobar Islands Forest & Plantation Corporation was
established to utilize the additional available timber potential. The Corporation plays an important role
in the production ot wood and establishment of wood based industries, building up infrastructure and
also tor raising economic plantations (Bhatt. 1998:40).
The main source of forest Revenue is sale of timber since there is no significant minor forest produce.
The timber extracted is supplied to the local forest based industries, departmental sawmills and other
government departments. After meeting the local demands for logs and sawn timber, the surplus is
shipped to mainland depots for sale and supply to the various agencies through the Agency of D.G.S. &
D and railway etc. As the main economy of these islands is based on forestry and forest produce, the
wood based industries have to play an important role for the economic development of these islands.
Accordingly, emphasis was laid in the latter part of the last decade on processing and manufacturing of
finished products from a large quantity of commercial timber bv the local wood based industries (Bhatt
1998:40).
Natural Gas:
The Oil and Natural Gas Commission (ONGC) of the Government of India has done considerable oil
exploration and the hopes are high as some other countries in the same geological belt like Myanmar,
Indonesia and Malaysia, have rich natural gas resources. Drilling has also been going on offshore wells
close to the islands (Bhatt, 1998:28).
Fauna:
10
Except for elephants and deer these islands do not have much by way of animal life, specially wild
life. But there are a number of bird species in different islands such as Magapod, Hornbill, Nicobar
pigeon. Magapod, found on the island of the same name can change its colours and often mingles with
the background of the landscape. The Hornbill found on Narcondom is also a rare species. There are
about 200 bird species in Andamans. The Nicobar pigeon is plum coloured, has a grey neck and head
and snow-white tail (Bhatt, 1998:28). There are many varieties of reptiles such as snakes, poisonous
centipede, green lizards, fish, etc. Shells, crabs, dolphins and sharks are also available in abundance.
During the last decade, emphasis was also laid on protection and conservation of wild life in these
islands. The Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 was promulgated. Four Wildlife sanctuaries and an area of
about 8000 hectares have also been declared as National Parks Biosphere Reserve in these islands. The
Andamans and Nicobars Administration has also planned to establish a project to study the bio-ecology
of the rare and threatened species of these islands and to establish a Marine national Park and a Turtle
and Crocodile Farm (Bhatt, 1998:40).
11
II
PRESENT SOCIO-ECONOMIC AND POLITICAL LIFE IN THE ISLANDS 4
[A] ECONOMIC LIFE:
{.Agriculture: (Bhatt, 1998:43):
•
Hilly and mountainous terrain, heavy rainfall, undulating nature of soil - these islands are ideally
suited for raising plantation crops.
Undeveloped agriculture until recently. Paddy has been the only good crop raised in the territory. It
was sown in an area of 3748 hectares during 1955-56.
• The first plan to develop agriculture here was introduced only during the Second Five Year Plan. In
this, besides bringing more area under paddy cultivation, cultivation of coconut, arecanut and a
variety of fruits were also encouraged.
• By the end of 1991-92, 12000 hectares of land were brought under paddy cultivation together for
Andaman and Nicobar Islands. Considerable emphasis was laid on achieving self-sufficiency in
food-grains for the inhabitants of these islands.
• Under the programme of minor irrigation and drainage, the department provides loan-cum subsidy
for construction of ponds and installation of pump sets.
• Apart from paddy, other crops grown in the district are Banana, Coconut, Rabi, Pulses, Arecanut, oil
seeds, fruits and vegetables.
•
2.
Industries: (Bhatt, 1998:44)
Industrially backward area and the Government of India has classified this territory under Category
1 A’ a special region/ No Industry District.
• To promote new industries and develop the existing industries, the Industries Department was
upgraded to a full-fledged Directorate in the year 1978. Simultaneously in the same year, the district
Industries Centre was also set up.
• No sale tax is levied on the goods of this Union territory. As an incentive small scale units are
exempted from octroi duty for import of plant, machinery and equipment from the mainland.
• Under the Industrial Estate Programme, small scale units are provided with industrial sheds and
developed plots for setting up their units in this area.
• Package assistance is being rendered by the Directorate of Industries and the district Industries
Centre to the entrepreneurs in setting up industrial activities in this backward area.
•
j
At present five DGTD units including one Government Saw Mill are functioning in these islands:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
WIMCO Manufacture of match splints.
Andaman “Timber Industries Manufacture of plywood block boards.
Jayashree timber products Manufacture of plywood.
Asian Woods and Manufacture of plywood polymers Pvt. Ltd. Veneers.
Government Chatham Sawn timber.
910 small-scale industries were also functioning and registered with the State Directorate in this Union
Territory.
12
3.Trade and Commerce:
Some of the most common commodities manufactured imported and exported in the town are as shown
below:
Name of the towns
Most important commodity
Exported
Manufactured
Imported
I
1
2
Port Blair
Ply wood & match Timber (including Cereals & all kinds of
splints
sawn timber)
edible oils
3
4
Ply wood and match splints play a very important role in the economy of the Islands. Timber is the most
important commodity exported from the town. The most important commodities imported in the town
are cereals and all kinds of edible oils (Bhatt 1998:44).|B| TOURISM:
•
Andamans and Nicobars are one of the few places where man has survived in his original form and
manners withstanding the onslaught of the march of the civilization.
•
The natural scenic beauty, serpentine creeks, palm fringed sandy beaches, coral reefs, evergiv.n
forests, undulating green hills, fabulous underwater life - a paradise for the domestic and foreign
tourists
•
Of late restrictions of foreign tourists have been relaxed.
•
The places of historical and tourist interests are: (a) Anthropological Museum, (b) Marine Museum,
© Chatham Saw Mill, (d) Wimco Factory, (e) Zoological Gardens, (f) Chiriya Tapu, (g) Wandoor
Beach, (h) Viper Island, (i) Corbyn's Cove, (j) Sipighat Farm, (k) Ross Island. (1) Cellular Jail, 9m)
Dilthaman Tank, and so on.
•
These 'dreaded' islands now have become <a haven
'
for tourism and other enterprises. People from
different parts of India have settled there. Among the settlers there5 are Hindi speaking, Malyalis,
Bengalis, Tamil, Telgu and the Chotanagpur Tribes.
Taking into account the tremendous potential tourism in the islands, the Government of India is planning
to develop one or two islands here as beach resorts5_.|C] EDUCATION.-According to 1991 census, the
population of total literate (excluding those of the age group of 0-6 years) was 150269 persons. Of the
90709 were males and 59560 ---------------females. In the-----rural1 areas of the district 97636 persons (58637 males and
38999 females) were literate and in urban areas 52633 persons
,
(32072 males and 20561 females) were
literate. The rate of literacy of this population to the total populationi as per 1991 census are shown
below 6:
Persons
Males
Females
Total
74.52
80.31
67.15
Rural
71.15
77.25
63.61
Urban
81.69
86.59
75.08
____________
(1991 Census)
13
[D] HEALTH AND HYGIENE:
’ In the year 1991-92, there were 2 Hospitals, 3 community Health Centres, 4 Dispensaries, 14 Primary
Health Centres, 64 Sub-Centres and 5 Urban Health Centres in the district. Thus in the North Andamans
there were 14 small and big centres; in Middle Andamans there were 26 of them and in the South
Andamans there were 52 centres and sub-centres (Bhatt, 1998:46). Owing to these Health centres the
lite expectancy rate may have increased for those who have an access to them. Ironically, the very
civilization that is supposed to facilitate health and hygiene and reduce the mortality rate has been
responsible for the decline in the primitive tribal population in the Andamans and Nicobars islands.
|E| POPULATION (GENERAL, SC/ST)
According to 1991 census the total population of the district is 241453 persons, comprising of 133058
males and 108395 females. Rural population or the district is 166498 persons ((90675 males and 75823
females) and urban population is 74955 persons (42383 males and 32572 females).
Of the six tribes in Andaman and Nicobar Islands the Jarawa and the Sentinelese still live in isolation.
The Administration is trying to befriend them by sending contact parties.
In some cases the political and criminal prisoners alter their release continued living there joined by
their families later. According to the 1991 census there was a population of 2800661 in an area of 8249
sq.km.
The decennial growth rate of population of the district as a whole in relation to the state between the
period 1981 and 1991 is given below.
State /District
Decennial growth rate of population (per cent) 1981-91
Total
Rural
Urban
Andaman & Nicobar Islands
47.88
46.87
50.72
Andaman District
51.68
52.12
50.72
(Bhatt, 1998: 38)
ANDAMAN AND NICOBAR ISLANDS
Population of State by Rural-Urban Residence, 1901-1991
CENSUS YEAR
1901__________
1911__________
1921__________
1931__________
1941__________
1951
1961__________
1971__________
1981__________
1991__________
TOTAL
24649
24659
27086
29463
33768
30971
63548
115133
188741
280661
RURAL
24649
26459
27086
29463
33768
23182
49473
88915
139107
205706
URBAN
7789
14075
26218
49634
74955
(Bhatt, 1998:32)
The Scheduled tribes’ population of the district according to 1991 census is 1917 persons of which 1415
persons are enumerated form urban areas and 502 from the rural.
14
Per cent Decadel Variation of Population (1901-11 to 1981-91)
I
Total/
Rural/
Urban
Total
Rural
Urban
Census
Decades
1901-1 1
1911-21
1921-31
1931-41
1941-51
1951-61
1961-71
1971-S1
1981-91
+7.34
+2.37
+2.37
+8.78
+8.78
+ 14.61
+ 14.61
-8.28
-31.35
+ 105.19
+81.17
+ 113.41
+79.72
+80.70
+63.93
+56.45
+48.70
+47.88
+51.02
+7.34
+89.31
(Bhatt, 1998:32)
Total Population of Scheduled Tribes 1991
Total/
Population
Scheduled Tribes Rural/
Urban
Persons
Total Rural 280661205
Urban
706 74955
Males
Females
Persons
Males
Females
154369111
126292
93720
32572
267702626
8 502
137501343
6 314
1302012832
986 42383
188
(Bhatt. 1998:33)
List of Scheduled Tribes Orders (Amendment) Act, 1976
1. Andamanese, Chariar. Chari, Kora, Tabo, Bo. \ere, Kede, Bea, Balawa, Bojigiyab, Juwai, Koi.
2 Jarawas
3 Nicobarese
4. Onges
5 Sentinelese
6. Shorn Pens
Religion-wise Breakup of Population as per 1991 Census
(at district level)
ANDAMANS
Religion
Hindus
Muslims
Christians
Sikhs
Buddhists
Jains
Other Religions & Persuasions
Religion not stated
Number
179772
20228
39897
870
320
16
102
248
N/COBARS
Religion
Hindus
Muslims
Christians
Sikhs
Buddhists
Jains
Number
9749
1126
27314
480
2
1
15
Other Religions & Persuasions
Religion not stated
154
382
Table 1: Distribution of population by Religion, India, 1991
SI
N
India/
UT
1
2__
INDI
A
1
2
Total
Rural
Urban
_3____
Total
Rural
Urban
Populat
ion
Hindus
_4_____
838.583
,988
622.812
,3
76215,7
71,612
280,661
205,706
74.955
687,646,
721522,8
96.62516
4,750,09
6
Muslims
Christians
Sikhs
Buddhists
Jains
ORP+
2___
_8_____
16,259,74
412,473,4
303,786,3
14
9_________
6,387,5004,1
27,4842,260,
016
10____
3,352,706
997,7182,
254,988
II______ 12____
3,269,3552, 415,5692
981.632287 70,47914
,723
5,090
_6_____
101.596.
19.640.28
05765.56 413.485,2
3,69536. 616.155,0
032,362
23
Anda
Total
189,5211 21.35412 67.21158,
1,3507515 32242280
17134
man & Rural
33.22856 .4848.87
3318.880
99
Nicob
Urban
.293
0
ar
Island
s_____
+ ORP stands for other religions and persuasions.
RNS stands for religion not stated.
25623224
RNS++
6306255
16
UITHE SURVIVING TRIBES OF THE ANDAMANS AND THEIR PLIGHT
[ 1 ] THE GREAT ANDAMANESE
[A] General Information (Singh 1994:363-366)
•
•
•
•
•
the census of 1981 showed only 42 persons of the tribe left in a colony on the Strait Island
the language they speak is Andamanese belonging to the Andamanese group of languages
the link language is Hindi and the script Devanagri (Singh 1994:363-366)
exhibit predominance of blood group A (59%) followed^by B (23%) and O (9%)
they are short statured, the average height being 148 cm, and broad-headed (cephalic index' 82) with
true pepper corn type of hair (Singh 1994:363-366)
•
the females have steatopygia (excessive accumulation of fat at the buttocks) (Singh 1994:363-366)
[B] Eating and Drinking Habits:
•
they eat fish and the meat of wild boar, turtle and dugong, but avoid beef and flesh of buffalo
•
they smoke beedis, cigarettes, chew betel leaves with lime, areca-nut and tobacco leaves and drink
tea often (Singh 1994:363-366)
•
a few of them drink alcoholic drinks occasionally
|CJ Living Conditions & Situation:
•
had their major encounter with outsiders in AD 1789, when Lieutenant Archibald Blair of the British
navy landed in these islands. Earlier records by Radcliffe-Brwon (1948) show that these islands were
dreaded
•
they are vanishing fast. It will be no surprise if they are wiped off the face of the earth not before it is
long (Radcliffe-Brown. 1948).
|D] Social Organization of the Tribe:
/// Tribes and sub-tribes:
• earlier comprised of 10 different tribes - Cari, Bo, Jeru, Rede. Puchiwar. Bale, Bea, Ko , Juwoi and
Kora. Each tribe was further divided into two sub-groups, namely Ar-yoto (coastal people) and
Erem-taga (forest dwellers) (Radcliffe-Brown, 1948).
•
In 1981 only three tribes - Jeru, Cari and Bo. (Singh 1994:363-366)
[2] Marriage Rituals:
•
Group exogamy was strictly observed prior to their permanent settlement in the Strait Island in 1970.
Due to the decrease in population this is no more in practice.
•
Earlier a boy and a girl with the same name could not marry even though
though they
they were
were no
no blood
blood
relations. The post-marital residence now is neo-local (Singh 1994.363-366)
•
Divorce and remarriage is permitted. On account of small number now decrease in the incidents of
divorce
•
Arranged marriage by the elders without the consent of the bride or the bridegroom, since the choice
is limited
Monogamy is strictly followed and nuclear type family is common
The person bearing the name of the deceased inherits his property (Singh 1994:363-366)
•
•
•
In the presence of the people the bridegroom is made to sit on the lap of the bride and they embrace
each other
17
•
v
in 1981, they offered tea along with turtle meat and the traditional items to invitees on social
occasions. The exchange of garlands by the bride and bridegroom during a marriage is also a recent
phenomenon.
[3J Death Rituals:
•
they bury the dead along with the personal belongings at a place adjacent to the settlement. There is
no period of death pollution and it may last from one month to a year
•
on the last day of pollution, they hunt a turtle and arrange a feast
[4] Economic Organization:
•
they continue hunting and fishing, but not in the traditional form. They collect firewood and edible
items
•
some of them are employed as salaried staff in government nurseries, health centres, etc.
•
they make use of the plantation and horticulture facilities provided by the government.
[5/ Political Organization:
•
owing to a decline in population, the traditional political organization has ceased to exist
•
now the oldest person in the community is selected as the chief and the next senior person as the
vice-chief
•
these two persons act as mediators between the people and the administration
•
they also have control over the social affairs of the community
16] Religious Organization:
•
they follow their traditional religion according to Singh (1994).. they worship a deity called Billikhu,
specially during birth, marriage and adolescence ceremonies
•
now some of them keep pictures of Hindu gods and goddesses in their houses and offer prayers to
them
•
whenever they visit Port Blair or other places, they attend local fairs and festivals and also visit the
temples.
•
In 1961 census of their total population of 19 persons, 13 were Christians, while 2 were Buddhists
and 4 were the followers of‘indefinite beliefs'
•
According to 1971 census out of their total population 4 persons were returned as Hindus, 1 person
as a Buddhist and 19 as followers of other religions.
•
In 1981 census out of their total population of 42 persons, 25 were Hindus and 17 Buddhists.
/7/ Position of women:
•
Women participate in all social, economic and religious activities and enjoy the right of inheritance
•
They collect fuel, roots, tubers and honey and work.
•
During pregnancy, adolescence and death, they observe taboos on certain food items and movements
•
The old and the experienced women render help during childbirth and a baby is named before it is
born. There is a tendency to perpetuate one’s name by giving it to the newborn in the community, a
ceremony is observed to mark the onset of adolescence for both males and females
18
[E] Culture Contact and Change:
•
Due to close contact with outsiders and adaptation to the new environment, they have forgotten
almost all their folk songs, folk lore, art and crafts relate to hunting and food gathering activities.
•
Basketry is the handicraft which exists today
•
The Great Andamanese maintain a harmonious relationship with the government officials at their
settlement in Strait Island who are posted to look after them.
•
They sell coconut, fish, honey and sea shells to such communities as the Bengali and the ‘local born’
residing in the nearby islands.
•
Sometimes they participate in certain public functions organized by the Andaman and Nicobar
administration and the settlers.
•
Earlier they had marriage relations with the Burmese settlers.
•
Nowadays they are politically conscious and take part in the elections
•
The entire community lives in a permanent settlement provided by the Andaman and Nicobar
administration. They have been provided with concrete houses with electricity. The settlement has a
community hall, nursery, dispensary, well, co-operative store, etc The Strait Island is connected h” a
ferry launch service to Port Blair and Rangat. The Great Andamanese have responded positively lO
the development projects. They have benefited from the facilities of formal and non-formal
education. According to the 1981 census, out of their total population. 14 persons (8 males and 6
females, viz., 33.33°o) are returned literate (Singh 1994:366).
[2] THE JARWA:
[A] General Information:
They are one of the four Negrito tribes of the Andaman Islands They inhabit the west coast reserved
area of 765 square kms. In the South and Middle Andaman Islands (Singh, 1994:420). According to
Radcliffe-Brown (1948), they are the descendants of emigrants who at sometime in the pa^t made their
way across from little Andaman and thrust themselves upon the inhabitants of Rutland island and the
South Andamans, maintaining their footing in the new country by force of arms. The Aka-Bea tribe of
the Great Andamanese division had referred to them as the Jarawa or \ erawa, a name which is still in
use. Singh (1994:420) observes that the estimated Jarawa population of 275 persons is larger than
1981 census enumeration of 31 persons, of whom 21 are males and the rest females. Their language has
been included in the Andamanese family of languages. The Jarawa are monolingual and do not know
any other language apart form their mother tongue Jarawa. Until now they have not developed any
system of writing.
The concept of individual leadership seems to be lacking among them The 1981 census records did not
show any religion stated by the Jarawa. Though they live naked, the Jarawa love to adorn their bodies
with clay paintings of innumerable designs. Even their wooden buckets, chest guards and bows are
ornamented with symmetrical zig-zag or criss-cross designs. Men women, children paint their bodies
with red ochre or white clay in various geometric patterns. This seems to be a kind of folk art of some
social significance.
[B] Physical Description:
•
Both the male and female remain naked. However, sometimes strings made of bark and leaves are
used as ornaments. The males use a special folded bark chest guard
19
•
•
They are of Negrito stock and are short statured with a dark skin and frizzy hair
The occurrence of steatopygia (accumulation of fat giving a characteristic shape to the buttock) in
post-puberty is a typical feature of their women.
[C] Economy:
•
They are a hunting gathering community living a semi-nomadic life. They are reported to have two
major territorial divisions. They move in small groups within each territory for hunting and
gathering food and get together at times.
•
The making of baskets and mats, shell necklaces and weapons of metal are part of the traditional
craft.
|D| Food Habits:
•
They eat pork, turtle meat, eggs, fish, molluscs, roots, tubers and honey
•
They do not consume any alcoholic drink or narcotics
•
Of late some of them have started liking for coconut, banana and boiled rice, which they get once a
month from a team of officials and experts who visit their area to establish contact.
[E] Social Institutions:
/// Marriage and Family:
• Adult marriage in practice. Monogamous marriage.
•
Their smallest social unit consists of a mal, a female and their unmarried minor children. During the
hunting and gathering expeditions a few families move together and each family gets a share of the
catch. However, the items gathered by the members of a family are shared among them.
•
Hunting, fishing and collecting honey are the men's jobs. They alone handle bows and arrows and
spears (Singh 1994:420).
/2/ Women in the Jarawa Community:
•
They only do small-scale fishing with baskets and also help in collecting roots and tubers
•
The broad three layered bark sheath worn by the men-folk, including very young boys, covers their
belly and chest. This is used for carrying arrows and knives and for protecting the vulnerable parts of
the body. This type of bark sheath is not worn by the women or by any other Negrito tribe or anyone
else in the Andaman Islands.
•
1 he females take active part in their economic activities, except in hunting with a nbow and arrow.
•
The pattern of interaction of the women with their male members and with the non-Jarawas visiting
their area suggests that the Jarawa women enjoy a status equal with the men, if not higher.
!3] Rituals of the Dead:
•
Practically nothing is known about their life cycle rituals except that the small bones of dead persons
are collected after the flesh decays, and one such piece is hung by the relatives around the neck or
waist
20
[F] Culture Contact and Change:
•
For more than a century the Jarawa have preferred to remain aloof, maintaining a hostile and
unfriendly attitude towards ‘aliens’.
•
It is only recently that a section of them has shown a friendly attitude. Even then hostile encounters
between the Jarawa and the non-Jarawa take place whenever the former get provoked by the
activities of the latter close to the reserved area.
•
Steps are being taken to establish friendly contacts with them. This is being done cautiously with a
view to ensure that a community which has succeeded in maintaining its unique culture against
heavy odds not become extinct. (Singh 1994:421)
In 1999 their population was about 250 individuals. Unlike the Great Andamanese and the Onge they
escaped devastation mainly due to their hostility to the outside civilization. In October 1997, for the first
time, the extremely hostile Jarawas came out from the forests to interact with the settler populations. The
official explanation for this change of attitude among the Jarawas was that they faced an acute shortage
of food in their territory. Sekhsaria (1999b) observes that it was a very convenient explanation which
ignored the policies that the administration had followed in the past few decades. Like the Onge the
Jarawa also have been pushed in from all sides.
The areas of the Jarwas have some of the largest sources of timber Once they are tamed or
domesticated but the so-called civilized society, the mainlanders hope to extract and exploit .ie
resources. The mining of sand from the beaches within the Jarawa reserve has already begun.
Sometimes when the Jarawa go to the settlements they are now looked down upon as intruders. Conflict
situations are on the rise and there have been incidents of the Jarawa being thrashed by the settlers. To
the superior arms and ammunition powder of the modern people how can the Jarawa resist9
The settlers have been offering them tobacco, gutkha, etc., to befriend them Liquor may follow soon.
A major change that has taken place in the Jarawa community - they have started wearing clothes;
dancing to the tune of Hindu film music, munching away at a packet of “Uncle Chipps”9 (Sekhsaria
1999b).
'
[3] THE ONGE.
[A] General Information:
•
According to Singh (1994:944) the term Onge means man These people belong to the Negrito racial
stock. They are now concentrated in two settlements - (i) the Dugong Creek, and (ii) the South E
both situated in the Little Andaman island in the islands of Andman and Nicobar. According to the
1981 census, their population is 97 (51 males and 46 females). But in the 1971 census they were 112
in murnber.
•
The Onge langauge belongs to the Andamanese family of languages They have no script. Some of
them are conversant with the local form of Hindi.
•
They are short statured, with a broad head shape, a short and broad face, pepper corn head hair,
scanty hair on the body and face, and a broad nasal profile
•
The presence of steatopygia is a characteristic feature of the Onge women.
•
It is reported by Verma (1989) that the Onge have a high rate of sterility (30.4%) mortality among
them, and also greater homogeneity for eleven red cell enzymes and serum proteins, which might
cause harmful effects (Singh 1994.-945).
•
They consume fish, the meat of wild boar, turtles and dugong and roots, tubers, fruits and honey.
Wheat and rice have become staple food in recent years. Tea is their favourite drink.
21
[B] Social Organization:
•
The Onge were divide into three territorial groups: (i) Girmeka-gobeule, (ii) Engakwale, and (iii)
Girera-gabeule. Each such group was constituted with a number of patrilineal descent units (berai).
A berai is composed of five to seven nuclear families, which are linked through agnatic relations.
• Marriage between different berai is the norm, they are monogamous.
• Their rule of residence has changed from patrilocal to neolocal.
• Absence of bride price and dowry is an important feature of this community.
• Marriage by mutual consent and with parental approval is the social norm.
• Divorce is not socially recognized, but separation is permitted.
• The nuclear family has become the common type now.
• The task of collection of wild roots, tubers, fruits and firewood is carried out by the women, in
addition to their usual household duties.
•
The Onge women command a good deal of influence and respect in the community.
|CJ Rituals and Ceremonies:
•
the rituals and ceremonies associated with the initiation of boys (tanagiru) and the onset of puberty
for girls (horangabey) are significant.
•
Birth and marriage rituals are conducted in a simple manner. Soon after childbirth, the placenta is
buried on the spot where the baby was born. Some restrictions are imposed on he mother regarding
the food she eats after delivery. A traditional method of greeting, whereby the bride sits on the
bridegroom s lap and they embrace each other, is an important aspect of an Onge marriage. A feast
is also hosted on the occasion.
They bury the dead inside the hut. under the cot of the deceased person. The custom of exhuming the
lower jaw (innibirangey) of the corpse after some period is the traditional practice.
[D| Socio Economic & Political Life:
•
They depend on forest produce and sea resources for their livelihood. They live by hunting, fishing
and collecting. Nowadays, they are also employed as wage labourers on the plantations in their own
settlement. Some essential food and other items are given free to them.
•
A few are also engaged in salaried jobs. According to the 1981 census, 71 persons (43 males and 28
females), of heir total population are returned as workers. Of them 69 persons are engaged in the
collection of forest produce, hunting, fishing, etc. the remaining two persons were engaged in other
jobs.
•
The Onge have no traditional political organization of their own.
•
The socio-economic affairs of the community are regulated entirely by the elderly men and women.
One person has been representing the Onge since early 1980s, at the Pradesh Council, the legislative
body of the Union territory.
•
The Onge exhibit skill at making baskets (toley), mats, wood containers (ooku) for the collection of
honey, and canoes dug out from a single tree trunk and fitted with out-riggers. They prepare two
types of baskets with thin cane strips. The smaller type shows much artistic expertise and is used for
storing cooked meat, roots and tubers. Both men and women weave these baskets. From the bark of
a particular plant, the women make strings for their ceremonial dress. Waist belts across the chest
have ceremonial significance. These are afforded to the men by their women relatives.
[E] Religious Belief
•
they believe in the existence of spirits dwelling in the jungle, the sea and the sky.
•
Out of their total population of 97 persons, 74 had been recorded as followers of ‘other religions’,
which refers to their traditional faith. The rest have not stated their religion (1981).
•
In 1961 and 1971, the census figures state that their entire population followed ‘indefinite belief,
denoting their indigenous religion.
•
They paint their face and body with clay, and this signifies their relationship with nature in a
symbolic form.
•
White clay (oikaloi) is painted on the face and body almost daily as a protection from evil spirits and
mosquitoes. Red ochre (oikaro) mixed with lard is smeared during the mourning period.
•
They also decorate the ceremonial hunting bows and arrows with bark strings. The honey container
(ooku) is made from the Kwallalu tree, the outer part of which is decorated with cane straw strips
after it is blackened by slowly burning the layer of wax pasted on it.
fFJ Culture Contact and Change:
•
To some extent they have developed contacts with the Bengali. Nicobarese, Tamil, Telgu Mopi|,-h
Ranchi tribes, and others.
’
•
They frequently visit the Bengali refugee settlers at Vivekandnapuram village and the times these
items are exchanged for their forest produces.
•
Some welfare and development measures were undertaken for the Onge since 1976, and these
activities have been entrusted to a local organization, Andaman Adim Janjati Vikas Samiti (AAJJl’S.
Some of the development works are appreciated by the Onge.
•
According to 1981 census, out of their total population of 97 persons, 25 were returned as literate
(22 males and 3 females).
•
The Samiti has made available to them drinking water, creches for the children, health care services,
electricity, and a few more amenities in Dugong Creek, which have been appreciated by the Onge
But such facilities are yet to reach the South Bay settlement.
'
='
The exclusive home of the Onge, the 730 sq. km Island of Little Andaman and Nicobar islands was
chosen for the settlement of the outside population from India. Forests had to be felled to make the land
cultivable for the settlements. Large-scale plantations were planned. Timber based industries wv
opened for the suppon of the settlers (Sekhsaria 1999b).
•
A red oil palm plantation was created over an area of 1,600 hectares.
•
Logging of the trees started.
About 12,000 families were expected to be brought into Little Andaman, but fortunately only 3 000
families could be brought as of today (Sekhsaria 1999b).
•
At the turn of the century their number was 670 but today at the close of the century they are about
100 Onge only.
------- sks®- —rf-
i
II
I
23
[4] THE SENTINELESE:
[A] General Information:
*
This is perhaps the most isolated tribal communtyof the county. The name by which they identify
themselves is not even known. The name Sentinelese is derived from the name of the island they inhabit
they have no contact outside their exclusive Andaman island of North Sentinel situated 64 km. South
west of Port Blair in the Andaman and Nicobar islands. The Onge call this island Chankute. Their
population was about 100, though the census 1981 could not record any (Singh 1994:1067). The
Sentinelese in 1999 estimated about 100 individuals. They are hostile to the outside civilization
(Sekhsaria 1999b).
They, like other Negrito tribes of the islands, are said to have migrated here in the prehistoric times. A
few scholars suggest that their ancestors drifted to this island during a cyclone, when they came out of
Little Andaman island for fishing on small out-rigger canoes. They speak their own tongue is called
Sentinelese. which is not understood by other Negritos. Yet, this language is said to belong to the
Andamanese family of speech.
The Sentinelese men wear a bark waist-belt, which is specific to this community. Both men and women
wear nothing except leafy ornaments. In physical appearance, they are dark complexioned, are of
medium height, and are not different from other Negritos.
[B] Economy:
•
They are hunters and gatherers. They hunt wild boar, turtle and fish with bows, arrows and spears.
For fishing and turtle hunting they also use single out-rigger canoes. Wild boars, sea turtles, different
kinds of fish and molluscs, fruits, roots and tubers form their main food. Their dependence on sea
food is apparently more than that of the Jarawa and the Onge, the other two hunter and gatherer
communities of the islands.
[C] Social and Economic Life:
•
They are said to have communal huts. Only a large encampment of 18 small lean-to type huts were
seen in a forest clearing in 1967. Each hut had a fire place. The presence of small huts and separate
heaths in each of them indicate their semi-nomadic nature and gathering pursuits. Some fruits were
also seen dumped at a place in an earlier party.
The presence of more than one fire place in the long huts suggests that occasionally more than one
family shared such a hut.
•
Hunting and fishing with bows and arrows seems to be carried out by the men, while the collection
of fruits, tubers and other edibles is done by both sexes. Fishing with small round nets in shallow
water is done by the females only.
•
Their crafts include the making of baskets, mats, bows and spears, bark belts for men (these are
much narrower than those used by the Jarawa and cover only the waist region), shell necklaces,
headbands, etc. their artistic disposition is expressed in painting their bodies with white clay and
from their leaf ornaments, baskets, bows and arrows.
•
Culturally too they seem to be in no way different from the other Negrito hunter-gatherers in the
Andamans.
1^1 Culture Contact and Change:
The Andaman Islands have been the exclusive home of the Negrito hunter-gatherers for thousands of
years. They were averse to outsiders disturbing them here. The establishment of a permanent
settlement here by the British in 1858 was very much resented and resisted by them. It took the
24
British several years to settle themselves and establish friendly relations with the tribes of Great
Andaman and they left the Sentinelese alone.
•
Serious efforts at making contacts started only in 1967 through joint expeditions of the
Anthropological Survey of India and the Andaman and Nicobar Administration and this continued
through the 1970s and 1980s.
•
Initially the Sentinelese resented the intrusion of outsiders. On many occasions they used their bows
and arrows to defend their land against any suspected aggression.
•
Efforts to be friendly towards this community had occasionally been made by the Andaman and
Nicobar Administration by presenting them with some gifts like coconuts, bananas and pieces of
iron from a distance by a team of officilas and experts.
•
They did accept those gifts, which were very discreetly dropped ashore by the official parties that
visited them occasionally, but they did not allow them to reach hand-shaking distance.
•
Finally, in early 1991, the Administration and the Anthropological Survey of India succeeded in
making friendly contact with them. During the joint expedition to the North Sentinel Island on
January 4, and 22nd February 1991, the Sentinelse for the first time approached the lifeboat and
received a gift of coconuts. A few of them also boarded the lifeboat during the February visit. There
were men. women and children in these groups The officilas stood in the water near the shore '
more gifts were given, however, even more were demanded A few women indicated their
annoyance at not receiving their adequate share (Singh, 1994:1066-1069).
•
More such visits are envisaged after careful and cautious planning, to gradually build up the friendly
contact further.
•
However, the Administration wishes to ensure that no harm comes to the Sentinelese in the process.
•
Friendly contacts with the Jarawa (in 1974) and the Sentinelese have been achieved entirely through
peaceful means, a landmark development in anthropology and administration (Singh, 1994:10661069).
I
1
25
IV
OBSERVATIONS
On the basis of the above literature, we can come to the following conclusions:
1. The primitive tribes of the Andamans, namely the Great Andamanese, the Onge, the Jarawa, and the
Sentinelese are a threatened species. They are on the verge of extinction. Sekhsaria (1998.68) reports.
"The population of the islands, which was about 24,5000 in 1901, is nearly four lakhs today, however,
the populations of the tribal communities (except the Nicobarese) have dwindled.” It is truse, the vast
area of their rainforest homelands have been cleared to feed the huge timber industry, on which depends
the economy of the Andamans.
Population trends (in the Andaman & Nicobar Islands)
Year
Total Population
Andamanese
Onges
1901
24,499
"625
672
"1911
24,45
455
631
1921
27,080
209
346
"1931
29,476
90
250
1951
30,971
23
150
1961
63,548
19
T29
1971
1,15,133
19
112
1981
1,88,745
2?
100
1991
2,80.661
IT
To?
1998
4,00,000 (estimated)
~
(Sekhsaria 1998:70)
2. Tribes’ symbiosis with nature and the sustainable nature of their economy had sustained them for
centuries before their over-exposure to the 'intruders’ starting from the colonial regime. In order to
preserve the Jarawa way of life and culture, a Jarawa tribal reserve was established over a 700-sq-km
area with an objective to keep the tribal population confined to the reserve as to prevent settlers from
encroaching into it. The Bush police was established who basically indulged in restricting the Jarawa to
the reserve area. But many illegal encroachments have come up in the reserve areas with political
patronage. That the political support is on the side of the settlers, is evident from a statement made in the
Lok Sabha in 1990 by Manoranjan Bhakta, the Congress (I) member of Parliament from the islands:
...Job-seekers (settlers) who have come (to) the island are now serious contenders for allotment of
house sites and agricultural land. Since the political system goes with the number, no political party is in
a position to contradict their demands.” (Sekhsaria 1998:69-70). Thus the attitude of the settlers
including elected representatives of various levels, the approach of their social and political
organizations, towards indigenous peoples is biased and anti-tribal. There is not only a lack of sensitivity
but also an attitude of aggression that leaves the aborigines pushed to the brink.
3. The Andaman and Nicobar Islands are rich in natural resources and there is a competition to have
control over them and over their management. The Andamans tribes cannot withstand the pressure of the
outsiders who outnumber and outsmart them.
26
•
The main threats to these endangered species can be identified in terms of deforestation and
environmental destruction. Hundreds of thousands of hectares of forest cover have been depleted in
the past and it continues even today.
•
As far as the Jarawa are concerned the forests and resources on their territory7 were attacked in terms
of clearing them for settlements of mainlanders. The Andaman Trunk Road was constructed that cuts
through the heart of Jarawa territory and large-scale logging operations continue even today, moving
further into the forest home of the Jarawa. The Jarawa who were once the master of the land have
now been restricted to a small 720 sq. km. Reserve on the western coast. Their natural resources
have diminished due to deforestation in order to accommodate settlers and to feed the flourishing
industries (Sekhsaria 1998.67)
•
Thousands of hectares of deciduous forests have been depleted with adverse impact on the climate,
health, economy and culture of the people. The studies of the late 1980’s show that soil erosion was
effected due to the indiscreet felling of the trees Clearing of the trees resulted in the death of coral in
the surrounding seas (Sekhsaria 1999b). Habitat destruction and excessive poaching by the settlers
has resulted in a sharp decline in the numbers of the endemic species such as the Andaman Wild Pig,
endangered sea turtles that nest on the island's beaches and the dugong that was once common in the
coastal waters (Sekhsaria 1999b). All these creatures are vital sources of food for the Onge. They
also play an integral role in their culture and society (Sekhsaria 1999b) The attitude of the settb is
arrogant, insensitive and ignorant towards these Onge. This attitude does not acknowledge the
knowledge that the Onge have. The Onge are expert navigators and make excellent sea-worthy
outrigger canoes They have knowledge of the plant that may have cure for the dreaded disease of
cerebral malaria They also know the use of sedate while extracting honey from the beehive
(Sekhsaria 1999b) Destruction of land and forests coupled with cultural domination has broken the
backbone of the social fabric of Onge communitv
•
There has been an encroachment of the aborigines' natural habitat pushing them back, restricting
them to small areas
•
Government-sponsored development projects inactivities have either been assimilative in nature
insensitive to the socio-cultural ethos of the tribes making them dependent on the mercy of the
benefactors, thus taking away the freedom of the tribes. There has alwavs been not only a tendency
but attempts of forced assimilation of the tribes in to the so-called ’mainstream’ of the so-called
‘civilized society.
•
Though there are instructions (as during the British Government as well) to take a ‘conciliate”/
approach towards the aborigines, the settlers and the Government machinery often find themselves
in conflicts with the aborigines harassing and even killing them Inflicting physical violence against
the tribes has become very common under the pretext of self-defense, whereas, in fact, the
aborigines’ attacks are in self-defense.
•
The drive to develop the tourism industry to attract foreign tourists has serious impact on the life and
culture of the tribes.
•
Diseases such as (i) Epidemics of pneumonia in 1868, (ii) Measles in 1877, (iii) Influenza in 1896,
and (iv) Syphillis. almost wiped the Great Andamanese off. It is reported that in August 1999, there
was an outbreak of measles and subsequent respirator}7 complications, including tuberculosis and
conjunctivitis among the Jarawa (Venkateswar 2000:38).
•
Their addiction to tobacco and liquor took heavy toll. Their population has come down to only 28
now from an estimated 5,000 in the 19th century.
•
The main sources of the above-mentioned threats are the vested interests
settlers, Government, etc.
industrialists, traders.
i
27
•
*
•
The methods employed in these threats are basically “Befriending the tribes” through coercion,
allurement, capture, threat, force. It should be noted that the Great Andamanese were befriended by
the outsiders following the establishment of the British Penal Colony in 1858. The British used the
Great Andamanese for searching convicts who escaped from the cellular jail and in fighting other
hostile tribes in the islands, particularly the Jarwa. An Andaman home was established to “educate”
and “civilize” the Great Andamanese.
In the context of the Jarawas it is observed that due to the increasing human pressure on the islands,
and the continuing encroachment into their territory which is their prime hunting and fishing land,
the Jarawas have started visiting the settlements. Meanwhile the administration continues to allot
land to settlers, or legalize encroachments along the borders of the contested forest tracts
(Venkateswar 2000:37).
5. The role of administration:
•
The aborigines' policy of the Government seems to be very much the same as that of the colonial
regime. In the words of Venkateswar (ibid.), “The British version of the colonial economy was one
which trafficked in the circuit of tobacco, tea. sugar, opium and alcohol, bringing the islands firmly
within the ambit of the British Empire. The subsequent Indian variant, also colonial in its dimensions
as it pertains to the islanders, further deprives them of control over their traditional resource base. It
was merely a transfer of power between two colonial regimes, with very little to differentiate the
two. The colonizer changed from the ‘white man’ to the ‘brown’ one after 1947, who, like the
former, proceeded to shoulder "the white man’s burden’ of undertaking to ‘u-lift’ the ‘backward
primitives'
•
To add to the ongoing escalation of tension between the tribes and the settlers, a local lawyer in Port
Blair filed a writ petition asking for the ‘rehabilitation’ of the Jarawa like the Andamanese and
Onge. The Port Blair based Society for Andaman and Nicobar Ecology (SANE) in turn, filed an
intervention agaisnt such a move, arguing that it would only expose the Jarawa to further diseases.
Survivla International, a London based activist organization, issued a worldwide call to
anthropologists and others to send testimonicals denouncing the writ petition. At present, the case on
behalf of the Jarawa is being handled by a human rights law firm in Mumbai (Venkateswar
2000:38).
•
In case of the escalating tension between the Jarawa and the settlers, the Administration officials
admit that they are unable to do anything. The two groups are locked in a tussle over land rights, and
the atmosphere has been vitiated by some administrative policies of the past. The Jarawa are the
original inhabitants of the land and they have the first right over this land, but not many people are
ready to concede this. The solution of this problem requires tremendous political will and
understanding which is found missing in the approach of the administration (Sekhsaria 1998:71).
•
In the independent India the Government Policy of ‘colonisation’ was implemented in 1960’s
thousands of settlers from mainland India were brought in, totally disregarding the rights of the
indigenous communities. Today the same policy is being continued under the pretext of‘civilizing’
the tribes without realizing its adverse effect on their life and culture. Sekhsaria (1998:70) has rightly
observed in the context of the Great Andamanese and the Onge that they “fell victim to the march of
civilization and everything that came with it”.
•
The role & function of such state institutions as the Anthropological Survey of India, the Andaman
Adimjati Vikas Samiti, and the Forest Department seem to be dubious.
(A) The Anthropological Survey of India (ASI):
•
The efforts by the administration to uproot the aborigines from their homeland and settle them
elsewhere has virtually backfired. The Onge of Little Andaman, for instance, as reported by
28
I
Venkateswar (2000:33), lived unhindered and carefree life earlier until the mid-sixties. Later on, the
Anthropological Survey of India (ASI) was established in Port Blair in 1952, and the research teams
visiting the islands frequently. The new programme for the development of Little Andaman, the
former inhabitants were sequestered in two permanent settlements at two ends of the island: Dugong
Creek, the larger settlement in the north, and South Bay at the southern tip of the island. Similarly,
the Andamanese were resettled on Strait Island
(b) Andaman Adimjati Vikas Samiti:
•
The AAJVS and the administration tried to befriend the tribes through “contact missions” to offer
them gifts of coconuts and bananas. In other words they tried to bribe them for their own ulterior
motives.
•
Pankaj reports that the Andaman Adim Jan Jati Vikas Samiti (The Andaman Tribal Welfare
Society), AAJVS. and the administration has encouraged the Onge to change their traditional
lifestyle and move into settlements created for them. It is still a blatant attempt of the settlers to have
an easy access to the land and timber of the island (Sekhsaria 1999b) Doles were offered to the
Onge by the AAJVS - milk powder, rice, dal. bread, biscuits, even tobacco at the rate of 250 gms
per adult. Thus the Onge have been systematically weaned away from their nutrient rich, traditional
diets and have become increasingly dependent on the government handouts to meet their needs
(Sekhsaria 1999b) The settlers even introduced liquor to these people Thus they have bee e
susceptible to exploitation. Precious resources like honey, resins, ambergris and turtle eggs are now
exchanged by them for the ubiquitous bottle popularly known as 180
•
The contact efforts of tue Andaman Adim Janjati Vikas Samiti (AAJVS). anthropologists and
police officials to establish friendly contact with the Jarawa community, and leaving behind gifts of
bananas and coconuts, tobacco, etc., have been looked by the critics as “scattering rice to ensnare
birds” They argue that these efforts are aimed at making them “dependent on the administration”
(Sekhsaria 1998:70).
(c) Forest Department & its Role:
•
The role of the Forest Department is far from satisfactory. The story started way back in the 1960s
when the Government of India planned a massive colonisation programme for the Union Territory of
the Andaman and Nicobar islands in complete disregard for the rights of the aborigines over there. A
1965 plan for Little Andaman, proposed thae felling of nearly 40% of the island’s forest for the
settlement of 12.000 families, and to promote the commercial plantations, such as red oil palm and
timber based industries in order to support the settler population (Sekhsaria 1999a:68).
•
The government team that was in favour of the development programme ignored the Andaman and
Nicobar Protection of Aboriginal Tribes Regulation (ANPATR), which had in 1957 accorded the
status of tribal reserve to the entire island of Little Andaman. Besides, about 20,000 hectares (30%)
of the island was denotified from its tribal reserve status in two stages, in 1972 and 1977, still
leaving 52,000 hectares as an inviolable tribal reserve.
•
The Forest Department leased out 19,600 hectares from the denotified area to the Andaman and
Nicobar Forest Plantation and Development Corporation (ANFPDC), which is the sole agency
responsible for timber extraction there. In 1976, the ANFPDC presented its Project Report for
Logging and Marketing of timber from the forests of Little Andaman. It was estimated that a total of
60,000 hectare of the island was available for logging and that 60.000 cubic metres of timber could
be extracted annually from 800 hectares (Sekhsaria a:68).
•
If 52,000 hectares of the island’s total area of 73,000 hectares was already a tribal reserve, how
could 60,000 hectare be made available for logging? The Corporation should have limited its
operation to the 19,600 hectares that had been leased out to it. With 1,600 hectares being under red
oil palm plantation, the actual area for logging was even less, at 18,000 cubic metres of timber from
an area of 240 hectares annually. The average for the actual logging over the last two decades.
29
however, is much higher, at 25,000 cubic metres of timber from an area of 400 hectares annually.
Instead of complying with the Supreme Court order to stop logging, the Forest Department has
justified the logging on the basis of its 1976 project report. Significantly, the Deputy Consevator of
Forests - Working Plan (DCF-WP) of the Andaman and Nicobnar Forest Department was busy
preparing a working plan for the forests of Little Andaman (Sekhsaria a:68).
I
30
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Agarwal, H. N. THE ANDAMAN AND NICOBAR INFORMATION Independence Day Number
1959.
Ayyar, T. G. N “Meet Our Onge”, THE ANDAMAN AND NICOBAR INFORMATION. 1957, 2:10.
Basu, B. K. THE ONGE KINSHIP SYSTEM. Port Blair: Anthropological Survey of India Andaman
and Nicobar island Tribe Series. (Series Editor K. S. Singh). Calcutta: Seagull Books. 1984.
Basu, D N. Linguistic Introduction to Andamanese BULLETIN OF THE ANTHROPOLOGICAL
SURVEY OF INDIA 1952. 1(2): 55-70.
. “Note on the Andaman
. “Accounts of Great Andamanese dance, song and mythology”. INDIAN FOLKLORE
1957. 2(1): 91-96.
Bhatt, S C (ED.) THE ENCYCLOPAEDIC DISTRICT GAZETTEERS OF INDIA, SOUTHERN
ZONE (VOL. 1). New Delhi: Cyan Publishing House 1998, pp. 27-54.
Blair, Archibald. “Survey of the Andamanese". Selection from the records of the Government of India
from department. 1993. No. 24.
Bose, Ashish POPULATION PROFILE OF RELIGION IN INDIA
Corporation, 1997.
Delhi: B
R. Publis
o
■ DEMOGRAPHI
Buchi, E. C. “The Onge of Little Andaman”. MARCH OF INDIA 1953. 6(2): 50-53, 64-66.
“Onge of Little A
Cadell, T. Andamans and Andamanese. SCOTTISH GEOGRAPHICAL MAG.AZINE. 1889. 5:57-73
Cappieri, M. “Andamanese - a dwindling race" CONGRESS OF THE ITALIAN SOCIETY FOR
ADVANCEMENT OF SCIENCE 1942.
• “Some essential features of the Andamanese anthropology and demogenetics JOURNAL
OF THE ANTRHOPOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF BOMBAY 1953 15:90-165
Chakraborty, D. K. THE GREAT ANDAMANESE. The ASI Andaman and Nicobar Island Tribe Series.
(Series Editor K. S. Singh). Calcutta: Seagull Books 1990
Chengappa, B S. “In the land of hostile Jarawa and other wild tribes of Andaman Islands” INDI
FORESTER. 1958. 84:108-120.
Choudhury, N. C. "Onges of Little Andaman: 20 years after”. JOURNAL OF SOCIAL RESEARCH
1976 19(2): 51-63.
Cipriani, Lidio. “Report on the Survey of Little Andaman during 1951-53” BULLETIN OF THE
ANTHROPOLOGICAL SURVEY OF INDIA 1953. 2(1): 61-82.
■ “Survey of Little Andaman during
1954”.
ANTHROPOLOGICAL SURVEY OF INDIA 1954. 3(2): 66-94
BULLETIN
OF
THE
■ “Jarawa Problem” BULLETIN OF BIHAR TRIB .AL RESEARCH INSTITUTE. 1959.
.
1: 43-55.
• “Hygiene and medical practices among the Onge”. ANTHROPOS. 1961. 56: 481-500.
“Recent Anthropological work in Little Andaman”. CURRENT ANTHROPOLOGY
1961. 3: 208-214.
Croley, T. V. “In the land of hostile Jarawas and other wild tribes of the Andamans. INDIAN
FORESTER. 1958 84: 449
'
31
k
«
Dodson, G. R. “On the Andamanese and andamans”.
ANTHROPOLOGICAL INSTITUTE. 1877. 6: 209-214.
JOURNAL
OF THE
ROYAL
Ganguly, P. and Paul, Anadi. “Notes on the material culture of the Jarawa of great Andaman” 1962
ETHNOS. 1962. 27: 84-98.
Majumdar. R. C. PENAL SETTLEMENT IN ANDAMANS. New Delhi. Gazetteers Unit, Department
of Culture. Ministry of Education and Social Welfare, 1975.
Mauat, Frederic. THE ANDAMAN ISLANDERS. London: Hurst and Blackett Publishers, 1863.
Pandit, T. N. “Tribes of Andaman and Nicobar Islands”, in Singh, K. S. (ed.), THE TRIBAL
SITUATION IN INDIA Shimla. Indian Institute of Advanced Study. 1986, pp. 239-257.
Pankaj, Sekhsaria. “Jarawa Excursions”, FRONTLINE, July 17, 1998, pp. 66-71.
“Tribal Trauma - the Andamans Story”, THE HINDU, Sunday, June 6, 1999.
. “A People in Peril”, FRONTLINE, May 7, 1999, pp. 67-71.
Radcliffe-Brown. A. THE ANDAMAN ISLANDERS. Cambridge: At the University Press, 1922.
Singh, K. S. THE SCHEDULED TRIBES. ANTHROPOLOGICAL SURVEY OF INDIA. Delhi:
Oxford University Press. 1994.
ANDAMAN AND NICOBAR ISLANDS. Madras: Affiliated East-West Press Pvt.
Ltd., 1994.
Venkateswar. Sita -The Jarawa of the Andaman Islands”, INDIGENOUS AFFAIRS, International
Work Group for Indigenous Affairs, No. 2 - April-May-June 2000, pp. 32-8.
Reports.
Annual Report. Ministry of Home Affairs, 1997-98.
Joseph Marianus Kujiir
Pankaj, Sekhsaria. "Tribal Trauma - the Andamans Story”,THE HINDU, Sunday, June 6, 1999
not been established that these primitive tribes practised cannibalism and were involved in trade.
It has
But there are no mines of gold in these islands. These informations are valid for the general population
in the islands other than the four primitive tribes. Whereas the Great Andamanese and the Onges have
yielded to the outside pressure and are involvement in the economic and social enterprises of the non
tribes, the Jarawa and the Sentinelese have been totally isolated and hostile._ This initiative of the
Government, which has already been started by the department of Tourism, has further escalated tension
between the aborigine tribes and the 'outsiders’. Developing certain islands as tourist resorts necessarily
implies acquisition of the tribal land. The surx iving tribes further being confined to their isolated islands
are reacting to these developments by attacking the workers of the road-construction and any strangers
for that matter.
The table shows a very high percentage of literacy in the urban and the rural population. Where are the
tribes? How to develop the tribes without harming their socio-cultural fabric of their life? If the
Government and the Government-sponsored agencies are unmindful of these elements could some
sympathetic NGOs make concerted efforts to do the same?
PAGE _PAGE _37_=========================================
IDENTIFICATION OF THE THREATS FACED BY THE ANDAMAN TRIBES AND THEIR
SOURCES
I.
|
32
A land of paradoxes! A Rich Land with the poor ‘vanishing’ Indigenous Tribes! That is how the
Andaman Islands can be described. It has everything rich flora and fauna, the sea all around, the
unexplored minerals, and above all a rich cultural heritage of the indigenous populations. Civilization
has not yet dawned upon them. So long as they were beyond the reach of the so-called ‘culture’ and
'civilization’, they had been able to sustain themselves. The moment the colonizers and their successors
tried to ‘civilize’ them, their number started to decline. This is not a cooked up story. It is unfortunately
the reality. Whereas on the one hand a lot of incentives are given to the settlers for exercising their
mastery over nature in terms of their control over land, sea, rivers and forest, the indigenous tribes are so
much pushed to the brink, they have no choice but to come out of their hiding, begging for food. It is, in
fact, at the cost of the Indigenous people that the settlers thrive. The dangers that a community faces can
be both internal and external. In the case of the Great Andamanese, the Onge, the Sentinelese and the
Jarawa, it is the external hegemonic, oppressive, Mafia agencies pose the biggest challenge to their
physical survival leave alone cultural, social and political.
On the basis of the information available we can now identify the threats to the four remaining or
‘vanishing’ tribes of the Andaman Islands at different fronts.
Deforestation: One of the social workers in the Andamans James William, who has lived and worked in
the islands for five years, reports that the main threat to the indigenous tribes is the environmental
destruction not only by way of deforestation but also by damaging the seashore According to him *’ '
entire forest is being indiscriminately felled. There is no settlement of the land Rare animals, plants aiiu
bird species are disappearing. There is no proper a-forestation to replace the trees cut for commercial
purposes. The forests are being cleared to settle people. This process has not only depleted the forest
cover but has also helped the acceleration of the diseases like malaria, as cleared forests have become
breeding sites for mosquitoes.
Encroachment: There is encroachment of the common property resources by three main agencies - the
State, the Officers and the Settlers The three seem to be hand-in-glove with one another. The State,
according to its whims and fancies, is appropriating lands for various so-called administrative purposes
and settling the outsiders. The settlers who are mainly the Bengalis. Malyalis. Tamils. Goans, and so
forth, take it as their birthright to acquire land for their settlement and cultivation. The officers who
represent the government and are basically settlers themselves, misuse their power and position to
acquire tribal lands to serve their own interests rather than working for the welfare of the Indigenous
tribes.
Tourism: As far as tourism is considered government has high claims but except for the construction of
the expensive guest houses and hotels nothing much has been done. These expensive hotels and mansic
are put up at the cost of the indigenous population Not much has been done to foster tourism though a
lot of land has been grabbed by the administration for the same. Flight and vovage are too expensive for
common people. Hence, tourism industry has become a monopoly of the rich and the high.
According to the Annual Report of the Ministry of Home Affairs-1997-98. based on the
recommendation for the UNDPAVTO study team, necessary action for construction of beach resorts,
development of beaches, water sports activities, man-power, planning and training, setting up of tourism
development authority and effective mode of communication had already been taken up in the current
year. India Tourism Development Corporation for Andaman & Nicobar Administration has plans for the
expansion of the tourism industry in these islands to increase the foreign exchange. As a result hotels
and travels to the islands are expensive and far beyond the reach of common man. All foreign nationals
require prior permission from the Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India for visiting any place
in the Island for a period beyond 15 days. For visits within the Port Blair Municipal Area, Jollly Buoy
and Cinque Islands, a foreign national could obtain permission from the following authorities for a
period of 15 days for tourism purpose only: (i) Indian Mission outside India, (ii) Foreigners’ Regional
Registration Officers at Delhi, Bombay and Calcutta, (iii) Chief Immigration Officer, Madra, and (iv)
Immigration Officers at the Immigration Check Post in the Airports at Delhi, Bombay, Calcutta, Madras
I
33
and Port Blair. Foreigners are, however, not allowed to visit the tribal areas and certain other restricted
areas.
Those interested in photography and investigation inside a sanctuary or a national park, need to obtain
permits from the Chief Wildlife Warden. Taking pictures of the airport, government dockyards, defence
establishments, naval wharf Dhanikari Dam and Chatham Saw Mill is strictly prohibited. Surprisingly
until recently hunting wildlife was permitted on showing a valid license. In order to transport any wild
animal, trophy or article outside the islands, a transit pass had to be obtained from the deputy
Conservator of Forests, Wildlife Division, Port Blair. This was widely misused for hunting, resulting in
the extinction of the wild animals, birds, etc. With specific permits obtained from the Fisheries
Department, carrying sea fans and seashells exceeding 10 pieces were allowed.
Thus there are laws, but there are too many loopholes as well. And most of the time it is the protectors
of the law who are responsible tor breaking it. The indigenous people who were the erstwhile masters of
the land have now become paupers in their own territory. Those who used to go about with bows and
arrows hunting for their livelihood, cannot even carry their traditional weapons today. Those who taught
the world about the sustainable management of natural resources are themselves on the verge of
extinction. On the contrary, the outsiders, the settlers have the modern know-how and they are
flourishing in the islands The administrators, the forest officials and the police, in the past as well as at
present, have sided with the rich and the powerful and the poor have nowhere to go.
Welfare Measures: According to the Annual Report 1997-98, during the year 1997-98, an outlay of Rs.
2,010.00 lakhs had been allotted for construction of 10 kms. rural roads, 10.50 kms. trunk road and 1.5
km. of new link road in Port Blair Head Quarter area, in addition to improving 20 km. of fair weather
road to all weather road and construction 5 permanent bridges. The expenditure up to December 1997
was Rs. 1,468.97 lakhs The works were in different stages of progress.
It is true, basic amenities and facilities are required for the inhabitants of the islands, but the nature of
development is oriented towards the safety and security of the settlers alone. From the point of view of
the four indigenous tribes of the Andamans, these roads and bridges do not matter at all. The question
therefore is - development from whose point of view? From the point of view of the indigenous tribes or
from the point of view ol their exploiters? Though Government has allotted funds for the welfare of
these tribes as well, but besides abortive contacts with some of these hostile tribes and a few welfare
measures that basically benefit the government machinery itself, nothing extraordinary has been done. In
the name of the tribal welfare the money allotted is being channeled to those already affluent. Tribal
students mainly from Nicobar islands are benefiting from the government schemes to some extent.
According to the provision of the government the tribal students undergoing higher education are
. supposed to be reimbursed all hostel expenditure in the form of scholarships. Besides, tribal students
should also be paid scholarship at the rate of Rs. 150/- per month. A scholarship of Rs. 65/- per month
was to be paid to the students at post matric level. At the elementary and secondary education stages,
incentives like free uniforms, free stationery, free books, attendance scholarship at the rate of Rs. 10/per month for boys and Rs 15/- per head per month for girls, free travel concession and mid-day meals
were to be provided. This works very well in the paper. In practicality very little percolates down to the
real beneficiaries. According to the five observers who have worked in the Andaman and Nicobar
islands for five to seven years, government officials are pocketing the money meant for the indigenous
tribes.
Government has also funds for social welfare and health and family welfare. The Annual Outlay for
Medical and Public health for the year 1997-98 was Rs. 15.59 crores and the expenditure up to
December 1997 was Rs. 10.45 crores. A scheme named “Planned families by 2000 AD” had been
implemented during the current year 1997-98. The Administration had also initiated action to constitute
a separate Health Centre for Non-CHS doctors of this territory. During the year 1997-98 an outlay of Rs.
175.00 lakhs had been provided under sub-sector Social Welfare against which an amount of Rs. 22.90
lakhs had been spent up to December 1997. Similarly, against the budgetary allocation of Rs. 55.00
lakhs under the Nutrition sub-sector Rs. 25.45 lakhs had been utilized up to December 1997. But again.
34
much of the money was eaten up by the rotten corrupt system and its tainted officers. Thus the dreams
of the indigenous tribes to see the light of day still remains too far-fetched to be realized concretely. '
In field of education, the Annual Plan provision for the year 1997-98 was 3,314.00 lakhs out of which
Rs. 1,455.07 lakhs had already been spent up to December 1997. Schooling facilities had been provided
at least in the paper in almost all the habitations of the territory'. The education department is said to be
catering to the need ot the entire population of this Union Territory through a total of 344 Educational
Institutions from pre-primary to degree level. Action is said to have been initiated for setting up two
Ashram Schools in Tribal area, 24 Non-formal Education Centres, 20 Pre-Primary Schools and 15
Primary Schools. In addition, it is supposed to have a plan to upgrade the existing educational
institutions - 10 Primary to Middle Schools, 4 Middle to Secondary Schools and one Secondary to
Senior Secondary School. In the paper it all looks so lucrative but the fact is that the indigenous tribes
are still a neglected lot.
Rampant corruption has left the islands the inhabitants still marginalized The Government allocates so
much money for the uplift of the tribes but much of it is consumed by the P W D. in collaboration with
the contractors who get contracts for buildings, roads and forests without anv sensitivity to the
indigenous people and their culture. In various governmental programmes and projects the cultural
elements of the indigenous population are not taken into consideration. And the history of the tribal
development and welfare schemes has shown us that unless and until they are taken into account e
welfare measures, however genuine they may be, will not succeed
Assimilation of the Tribes in the Mainstream: The efforts of the government and the anthropologists
have been to assimilate the tribes into the national mainstream. Contact parties have been organized in
the past and these efforts are still continuing. Even force has been used to subdue the tribes^and force
them to accept the modern civilization. In the past tribal settlements have been attacked and their
property destroyed They have even been murdered Some tribals from among the Great Andamanese
and the Sentinelese are found to be in the state police or in the gosernment as class IV employees It has
been reported that aware of their plight they have tried to lodge complaints with the higher authorities
even at the cost ot their lives Thus physical violence has become a common means to exercise control
over the local indigenous people. The Constitutional safeguards are many but the executors of the law
themselves have become the defaulters
According to the obseners, public life is marred by party politics, nepotism, and corruption. When
somebody reaches the officer s post he tries to make up for what he had to pay as bribe for his job.
Threat is only for the tribes and the labourers and the weaker sections in the Andamans social hierarchv
I hose at the bottom are not allowed to come up. Hea\ y amount of bribe is not possible for the ordina
people even if they are qualified.
f
The Great Andamanese were befriended by the outsiders following the establishment of the British
Penal Colony in 1838. The British used me Great Andamanese for searching convicts who escaped irom
the cellular jail and in fighting other hostile tribes in the islands, particularly the Jarwa An Andaman
home was established to "educate” and “civilize” the Great Andamanese
The role of administration
What is the role & function of the administration in protecting these indigenous people9 What is the role
& function of the administration in abetting the forces that threaten the survival of these indigenous
peoples?
The islands are allotted huge amounts of money but only small ponions are being utilized. Mighty little
is reaching the poor indigenous tribes. Why should they still go naked9 A large sum is given to^feed and
clothe them, still they go hungry. As a result the tribes have to some to the jetty begging. Where does
that large sum vanish9 One can count these indigenous people in fingers and yet they cannot be fed by
the administration. One of the reasons as to why even the Jarawas have come out on the roads asking the
passengers to give them something to eat. Earlier, as we know, these people were violent, but now^they
I
£
35
» have been tamed by the modernizing forces. If deforestation and destruction of the environment were
controlled, the Jarawa would not have to go round begging from the outsiders.
Role & Function of State Institutions
The Anthropological Survey of India. They have not been able to adequately survey the entire island due
to inaccessibility. The Census reports on the composition of the population and the religions of the
people therein are faulty. The religious affiliations of the indigenous tribes are not specified.
Andaman Adimjati Vikas Samiti: According to the observers in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, this
organization has achieved little. In fact nothing substantial has been achieved. More details of this
organisation will be given later. This observation was made my James William who has worked as a
social worker in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands for six years.
Forest Department: Those responsible for the forests are migrants. They destroy more than they can
protect. They are erecting quarters. Much timber goes waste. They do not allow people to touch them.
They themselves have a share in the hunt but do not allow people to even touch the animals. Deer,
crocodiles, turtles, birds are fast disappearing.
Forest Cover and the Forest Department: The data below in various tables give us an idea of how much
forest cover the Andaman and Nicobar Islands have in comparison to that of the entire country and the
rate at which the forest cover are being depleted every day.
Table - 1
Geographical area (GA), recorded forest cover (RFC) & actual forest cover (AFC) of various
states/ Union Territories (UTS) of India (Sq. km.): 1997 assessment
GA
RFC
% age of AFC
RFC io
GA
%of AFC
to G. A.
% age of Reserved
AFC to forest
RFC
Protected
forest
Unclassc
d forest
8249
7171
86.93
92.30
106.16
4242
-------
7613
2929
Source: Mo EF. 1997 The State Forest report, pp. 11-12. Dehra Dun: Forest Survey of India. Ministry
of Environment & ForestsAccording to the 1997 assessment of the state forests by the Ministry of
Environment and Forests, the geographical area was 8249, recorded forest cover was 7171 and the
percentage of the recorded forest cover to geographical area was 86.93%. But the actual forest cover was
7613 sq. km., that is more than the recorded forest cover. Therefore the percentage of the actual forest
cover to geographical area was 92.30%. the percentage of the actual forest cover to the recorded forest
cover was 106.16%. the reserved forest was 2929 sq. km., whereas the protected forest was 4242 sq. km.
The table below shows a comparative assessment of the forest cover between 1995 and 1997.
Table - 2
Comparison of forest cover (sc . km.); 1995 & 1997 assessments
1995
1997
Change in forest cover
7615
7613
-02
Source: Mo EF. 1997. The State Forest Report, pp. 11-12. Dehra Dun. Forest Survey of India. Ministry
of Environment & Forestsln 1995 assessment the total forest cover of the Andaman and Nicobar islands
was 7615 sq. km. Which became only 7613 sq. km. In the year 1997. Thus there was a depletion of two
sq. km. Forest cover in just two years. It is likely that unofficially this depletion could have been much
higher than this.lt is very interesting to note different types of forests in the andaman and Nicobar
Islands that are shown in table - 3 below.
l
36
Table - 3
Extent of Dense forest, Open forest & Mangrove (sq. km.): 1997 assessment
Dense forest
Open forest
Mangroves
6520
727
966
scrub
N on-forest
total
636
7613
Source: Mo EF. 1997. The State Forest report, pp. 11-12. Dehra Dun. Forest Survey of India. Ministry
of Environment & Forestsit should be noted that the total dense forest as recorded in 1997 was 6520 sq.
km, the open forest 127 sq. km., the mangroves 966 sq. kms., and non-forest 636 sq. kms. Thus there
was a total cover of of 7613 sq. kms.
Critical Review of the Missionaries’ Activities
They are mainly working in the Nicobar island. They are involved in the contact work and education.
They need to be immersed into the culture of the people. But there is no headway. They need to
collaborate with the NGOs to make the Andamans Islands a better place for the Tribes to live in.
Some of the missionaries who have been in these islands for the last six years observe that there is need
to adopt and educate them without disturbing their culture If they are not helped to adapt to the
changing circumstances and prepared for the coming challenges of modernity they will soon be extinct.
There is need to learn their languages, customs, lifestyle. Introduce them to better living standard. T 'f
them not be like creatures of a zoo or objects of anthropological research who are only meant to ue
studied and not treated as human beings. Why should they be kept ‘protected’ as in zoos. Give them
facilities to progress in life.
The laws as the Andaman and Nicobnar Protection of Aboriginal Tribes Regulation, 1957. they have
protected the Nicobarese and helped them but others have not benefited from these laws.
Policies as the National Forest Policy; forests are not preserved. There are no new forest areas.
Contractors have damaged trees. Valuable trees are disappearing.
Plans as the Master Plan <1991-2021> for Welfare of Primitive Tribes of Andaman & Nicobar Islands:
Some plans and policies are good sounding but their implementation is not sincere. Evaluation,
reevaluation is very much needed.
Tourism Projects, only new construction of a good landing strip, flight is so expensive that it
discourages many tourists. Ships are less frequent than needed. Guest houses must become attractive
(they only look). A lot of development is needed especially in transport and communication.
The settlers consider themselves a privileged class. They are not so enthusiastic about sharing th
rights and privileges. They look at others as threats to their privileged position. Their social
organizations & attitude towards indigenous people are that they are confined to their own social groups.
They are not broad-minded. They are not much concerned about others. Their primary concern seems to
be voters’ number. If they do not vote for them they are ignored. So indigenous people are not much of
their interest and concern as they are not cultured enough to use their franchise
Contact persons especially for the Jarawa are not trained or qualified One needs tact and selflessness.
The tribes especially the Great Andamanese are cheated and exploited. They are not looked after well.
They have tried to contact them but there have never been serious efforts to uplift them. They would
prefer to keep the indigenous people as they are - in the forest, uncultured Will it really take ages to
bring them to civilisation9 They are left to remain backward. These are capable of learning. They pick
up fast.
In the Independent India the Government Policy of‘colonisation’ was implemented in 1960’s, thousands
of settlers from mainland India were brought in, totally disregarding the rights of the indigenous
communities.
I
37
A short term suggestion for their welfare will be to let them consider them as genuine human beings
• and not as museum pieces or creatures in wild life sanctuaries. Give them proper security. Give them all
possible amenities, above subhuman level. A long terms strategy could be in terms of preparing them for
roles or trade, employment. Prepare them to integrate them into governing and decision making process
help them to stand on their own feet for heir own rights. Enable them to qualify for a job (good
education). Teach then agriculture, job opportunities, self-help (employment), farming and not just
hunting.
The main problems faced by the tribes are in terms of Security, threats, food, education, employment,
clothing, shelter ,etc. Alienating programme, proper drinking water.
diseases such as (i) Epidemics of pneumonia in 1868, (ii) Measles in 1877, (iii) Influenza in 1896, and
(iv) Syphillis, almost wiped them off. Their addiction to tobacco and liquor took heavy toll. Their
population has come down to only 28 now from an estimated 5,000 in the 19th century.
Their number is diminishing. Officials should be alert and sensitive to their need and conditions,
miseries. If we study the statistics of the Tribes of the Andamans we discover that what we find in books
or papers are not accuiate They are Indians, genuine aboriginals, indigenous. They have always been on
the receiving end ever since their contact with the British.
Table Tribal population in Andaman & Nicobar Islands (1981)
si.
No
Tribes
1901
1911
1921
1931
1941
1951
1961
1971
1981
1
Andamanes 625
455
209
90
23
19
24
26
e________
2
Jarawas
468*
1 14*
114*
70*
50
500*
31
Sentinelese
117*
117*
117* 50*
50*
7 Onges____ 672* ' 631* 346* 250*
150
129
112
97____
2 Nicobarese 5962 ' 7991 8248 9589 12252 11902 13903 17874 21685
_6
' 375* ________
Shorn Pens
348*;______
375* _200*
20
71
___________ _______
_______
, 92_
223
*
Estimated population The analy sis of the demographic changes of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands in
the nine censuses from 1901 to 1981 iis interesting. Owing to the hostility of some of the tribes their
estimated population only could be gi ven. Whereas the population of the Nicobarese on the whole has
increased except in 1951, the number of all the tribes has invariable increasingly decreased. However,
the estimated numbers may not necessarily be close to their real number. But the fact is that their
number has gone down due to various reasons.
Table Break up of the Religious community & the sex ratio
Religious community
persons
males
females
Sex ratio (female per
1.000 males)______
Buddhists
127
93__
34
366
Christians
48,279
26,935
21,339
792_______
Hindus
121,793
69,933
51,860
742_______
Jains
1 1_____
5___
6______ 1,200______
Muslims
16,188
8,973
7,215
804
Sikhs
991
543
__ 448
[ 825
Census of India, 1991 The table above is an expression of the general attitude towards the indigenous
tribes of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. The census enumerators have elsewhere enumerated the
estimated number of those tribes who due to their hostility could not be counted. But ironically their
religions which are Ibasically tribal religions, could not find a column in the census charts. Does it mean
that their number is returned as
Hindusj as in the case of some other tribes of India who due to dubious
----------
38
reasons are clubbed with the Hindus. Here it should be clear that the tribes of India were‘never
Hindus, nor are the tribes of Andamans Hindus.
NAVY BASE
The Indian Express, New Delhi, November 10, 2000: the Government has already announced setting up
of a tri-services command on the strategically located Andaman and Nicobar islands. It is projected as a
clear signal to clamp downi on increasing arms and narcotics running by insurgent groups through sea
lanes in the bay of Bengal.
The Indian Express, New Delhi, November 11, 2000. The Andaman tribes seem to be facing all odds, so
much so that even the protectors of the vanishing tribes, the government machinery and the government
policies, all seem to be going against the helpless tribes who are caught unawares of the impact of the
so-called ‘civilization’ and ‘domestication’ drive. The government decision to install a Tri-services
command in Andamans has already become controversial not only among the inhabitants of these
islands but also among the human rights activists as well. The Government claims this will help the
country in its “look east” policy. But this is far from convincing. The threat perception is being looked at
more as a lame excuse to expand its military base rather than anything else
The rationale for increasing the forces in the Andamans is to protect the 300 odd uninhabited islands
along with the Malacca Straits as many trade ships pass through this strait than that through the S
Canal and the Panama Island, as reported by Rear Admiral (retd) Raja Menon. Another reason for the
reinforcement of the naval base in the Andaman islands as reported in the Naval Headquarters is, to
protect the trade route. It is alleged that this part of the countiy has become a haven for “gun running,
smuggling, piracy on high seas, narcotics trade and the use of some the uninhabited islands as dumping
grounds by the LTTE, Mynamarese rebels and now even suspected Indonesian rebels”.
The Navy has not yet been given the overall command of the new dispensation in the Andamans. At
present, the Andaman islands and the region are protected by Fortress Commander Andaman
(FORTAN), a Vice-Admiral. There is a brigade of the Army under him But the Indian Air Force (1AF)
operates independently inn consultation with the FORT AN. There is also an amphibious unit of the
army for seaborne operations. The IAF also has a helicopter unit in the Nicobar islands and a liaison unit
in the Andaman islands.
The implications of the increased force level are the availability of more men and material at the diposal
of the Commmand, including more helicopters, gunships and e\ en fighter aircraft. When the new tnservices command is set up, three star generals of the Army. Navy and the Air Force will command
rotation.
The naval establishment in the islands will also help India to forge closer ties with the Indian ocean rim
countries in its longerm plan to emerge as the dominating power in the region Joint exercises with the
navy of Japan, Indonesia among other countries like Vietnam and engaging neighbours like Myanamar
are all a part of the “look east” policy. Recent courting of Myanamar is an indication that India’s foreign
policy with the “friendly” neighbouring countries will be to have them as her allies to counter any effort
to destabilize the country by the hostile neighbours.
Economic reason is given as the main rationale to have a revision of the previous policy. Malacca Stratis
is said to be the busiest trade route and is affected by piracy and smuggling. The trade route passes
barely 30 miles from the Indian territory. If the Navy Base comes to a reality, the menace created by the
smugglers will be contained and will help tilt the trade in India's favour.
The increased Army strength will protect and patrol the islands. The idea is also to keep China out of the
Indian Ocean Region as China is present in the Myanamarese Coco islands as well.
39
Forestry
According to the Indian Council of Forestry Research & Education, Dehra Dun, ICFRE (1995:137), the
statewise details of data on sawmill, production of timber and poles, production of firewood and
bamboo, sal seeds and tendu leaves gums and resins, canes and other NTFP, etc., for VITth and VUIth
Five Year Plans, were not available.
Table Distribution of geographical area and actual forest cover (1995:23)
Geographical area (sq. km.)
Actual forest cover (sq. km.) Actual forest cover as %
of geographical cover
8249
7624
92.4__________________
Indian Council oi I'orcsm Research &. education. Delira Dun, ICFRIlAccording to the Indian Council of Forestry
Research & education, the total geographical area of the forest cover was 8249 sq. km. whereas the
actual cover was 7624 sq. km. The actual forest cover as percentage of geographical cover was 92.4%.
Table Per Capita Forest Cover
Population
Actual Forest Cover (sq. km.)
Per Capita Forest Cover (ha)
(‘000)
281
J____________________
| 7624
2.71
Source: SFR. 1993. F.S.I. & Census of India 1991.
According to SFR 1993 & Census of India 1991, the per capita forest cover was 2.71 hectares. The next
table shows the recorded and actual forest cover-comparative situation of the Andaman and Nicobar
Islands to the All India forest cover and their percentage.
Table Recorded & Actual forest cover-comparative situation
(Area in square km.) __________
Recorded forest area actual forest cover - 1993
assessment____________
A
&
N 7171
7624
Islands
All India
753005
640107
Source: SFR 1993. FSI & SFD
Percentage
(col. 3 to col.2)
106.32
85.01
The recorded forest area in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands was 7171 sq. km. Whereas it was 753005
sq. kms. at the all India level. The actual forest cover in 1993 assessment was 7624 sq. kms. as far as the
Andaman and Nicobar Islands were concerned, whereas it was 640107 sq. kms., at all India level. Thus
the Andaman and Nicobar Islands had the 106.32% of the total forest cover available elsewhere in India.
Thus the All India forest cover was only 85.01% when compared to the forest cover of the Andaman and
Nicobar Islands.
According to the India 1998, the forests cover 7,171 sq. km of the total area of the islands. All types of
forests are found in the islands, such as giant evergreen, hilltop evergreen moist, deciduous littoral and
sub-mounting swamp forest. A large variety of timber is found in the Andaman group of islands. The
most valuable timber is padauk and gurjan. These species are not found in Nicobar. Recently, there is an
increase in the forest cover in these islands and now more than 91% land is under forest.
40
Table Financial targets & achievements under afforestation schemes since the 7th Five Year Plan
1985-86
1996-87
1987-88
1988-89
1989-90
1990-91
1993-94
1994-95
(A)
(f)
(A)
(U)
(A)
(V)
(A)
(U)
(A)
(U)
(A)
(V)
(A)
(U)
(A)
136.2
0
104.2
0
T22.0
127.5
4
143.5
0
153.3
6
259.5
0
259.5
0
245.0
0
112.9
5
239.1
6
96.21
114.8
5
127.6
0
127.5
0
0
(V)
A + AllocationU = utilisationSource: NAEB, Min ofE & F of India. New Delhi.
Wildlife Sanctuaries in India 94, area (sq. km.) - 455.48National Parks-6 (sq. km. 315.61)
a) Marine
b) Middle Button
c) Mount Harriet
d) North Button
e) Saddle Peak
f) South Button No. of national parks, sanctuaries & their area
National parks
Sanctuaries
Total protected area (sq.km.)
6
94
775.99
Source. DIG. Wildlife. Ministn' of Environment & Forests. New Delhi.
Assistance for development of sanctuaries & national parks during VHth plan scheme
1987- 88
1988- 89
1990- 91
1991- 92
1992- 93
1993- 94
12.60 (lakhs)
6.61
0.47
}
1
NA
f
}
Source: Director. Project Tiger. Bikaner House, and New Delhi.
Statewise breakup of wildlife sanctuaries
(area, sq. Km.)_______
Total G. A. Total F. A. %
age No. WSs Area
%
age FAC of °/oage FAC/FA
(Geographi (Forest
FA/GA~ (wildlife
WS/GA
WSs
WSs
cal area)
area)
sanctuaries
)_______
8249
7171
94
.460,38
86.93
5.58
460 38
6.42
Source: Protected Areas for biodiversity conservation in India Problem & Prospects. Paper for T.E.R.I. UF Workshop
I.F.M.E.R.. Feb 1994 & SFD.
41
STATEWISE BREKUP OF NATIONAL PARKS
Total
G.A.
Total
A.
F.
%
age
FA/GA
No. NPs
Area NP
%
age FAC
NP/GA
NPs
of %
age
FAC/FA
8249
7171
86.93
6
315.61
3.83
34.11
0.48
_______________________
Source: Protected Areas for biodiversiotv conservation in India Problem & Prospccis. Paper for T.E.R.I. UF Workshop
I.F.M.E.R.. Feb 1994 & SFD
State-wise breakup of protected area
Total G.
A.
Total
A.
8249
'7171
F
%
age
FA/GA
No PAs
Areas
As
86.93
100
775.99
P
%
age
PA/GA
FAC of %
age
PAs
FAC/FA
9.41
494.49
6.90
Source: Protected Areas for biodiversiotv conservation in India Problem & Prospects. Paper for T.E.R.I. UF Workshop
I.F.M.E.R.. Feb 1994 & SFD Statewise commercial production of plywood since 1988
(in sq. mt. - 4 mm. Basis)
No. of
units
1988
1989
Capacity
in sq. mt
2
' 8056654
5989248 63770720
_______________________
Source: Federation of India Plyw ood A Panel Industries
1990
1991
1992
1993
6543846
6513000
6574651
6458697
According to the TERI ENERGY DATA DIRECTORY AND YEART BOOK 1998-99 (1998.243),
“WIDE DISPARITY EXISTS WITHIN THE COUNTRY ON THE EXTENT OF FOREST COVER’
WHILE FORESTS IN THE Andaman and Nicobar Islands occupy as much as 86.9% of the total
geographical area, in Haryana they account for only 3.8% of the total land. States like Arunachal
Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh. Manipur. Mizoram. Nagaland, and tripura have over 50% of their land area
under forests, while Gujarat. Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab and Rajasthan have less than 10%. The
foprest area in other states ranges between 10% and 50%.”
According to the Census of India 1981. the lists of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, notified by
the President in 1950 were revised by the Scheduled Caste and schedule Tribes Order (Amendment)
Act, 1956 With the reorganisation of the states in 1956, the orders were further modified by the
Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes list (Modification) Order, 1956. According to the Constitution
(Andaman & Nicobai IslandsO Scheduled Tribes Order, 1959 notified for this Union Territory, there are
6 Scheduled Tiibes in these islands and only these tribal countries are entitled to be enumerated as
Scheduled tribes at the census in this Union Territory. According to that order the following tribes in
these islands are recognised as Scheduled tribes in the areas specified therein:
This order may be called the constitution (Andaman & Nicobar Islands) Scheduled tribes Order. 1959.
The tribes or tribal communities or parts of or groups within tribes or tribnal communities, specified in
the schedule to this order shall for the purpose of the Constitution be deemed to be scheduled Tribes in
relation to the union Territory of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands so far as regards members thereof
resident in the localities soecified
specified in relation to them in that qchedule
schedule.
The Schedule:
42
I.
in the Andaman Island -
1. Andamanese including Chariar or Chari, Kora, tabo or Bo, Yere, Kede, Bea, Balawa, Bojigiyab,
Juwai and Koi
2. Jarawas
3. Onges
4. Sentinelese
II
In the Nicobar Islands.1. Nicobarese
2. Shorn Pens
On the 1st of March 1981, the population of this Union Territory was 188,741 consisting of 107,261
males and 81,480 females as agaisnt 115,133 persons in 1971, consisting of 70,027 males and 45,106
female. The Andaman and Nicobar Islands ranked 28th in terms of 1981 population with the density of
14 persons per sq. km. In 1981, there were 51,941 census houses and 40,671 households. In 1981, only
one urban unit, i.e., Port Blair in the whole of Andaman and Nicobar Islands which accounted for 26.30
% of total population and remaining 73.70% population resided in rural areas.
FISHERIES
As against the total allocation of Rs. 440.00 lakhs under Plan for the year 1997-98, an expenditure of Rs.
151.66 had been incurred up to December 1997. As a result of the implementation of various schemes
during 1997-98, there was an increase in fish landing. 15,705 tonnes of marine fish was landed by the
private fisherman and tribals upto November 1997.
INDUSTRY
There are 1,119 registered small scale village and handicrafts units, besides four medium sized industrial
units. Recently promoted engineering units are engaged in the production of saw dust, briquettes,
polythene bags. PVC conduit pipes and fittings, paint and varnishes, fibre glass and mini flour mills, soft
drinks and beverages, steel furniture as MS barrels, aluminium doors and windows, etc. small scale ana
handicraft units are also engaged in shell crafts, bakery products, rice milling, furniture making, oilseeds
crushing, etc. the Andaman and Nicobar Integrated Development Corporation established in 1988, has
started its activities in the field of civil supplies, tourism, fisheries, industries and industrial financing.
AREA, POPULATION AND HJEADQUARTERS OF DISTRICTS
District
Area (sq. km)
population
Headquarters
Andaman
6,408______
2.41.453
Port Blair
Nicobar
1,841
39.20
Car Nicobar
HISTORY AND GEOGRAPHY The Andaman and Nicobar Islands, an Union territory, are situated
between 6* and 14* North latitude and 92* and 94* East Longitude. This group of 572 islands/islets lie
in the Bay of Bengal 193 km from cape Negaris in Burma (myanamar), 1,255 km from Calcutta and
1,190 km from Chennai. Two principal group of islets are Ritchie’s Archipelago and Labyrinth islands.
The Nicobar islands are situated to the south of Andamans, 121 km from Little Andaman island. There
are 36 inhabited islands, including 24 in the Andamans and 12 in the Nicobar District.
The original inhabitaints of the islands lived in the forests by hunting and fishing. There are four Negrito
tribes, viz., the Great andamanese, the Onge, the Jarawa, and the Sentinelese, in the Andaman group of
islands, and two Mongoloid tribes, viz., Nicobarese and Shorn Pen in the Nocobar group of islands.
Among these, the Jarawas and the Sentinelese have not yet learnt the concept of covering their bodies.
43
The modern history of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands begins with the establishment of a settlement
by East India Company in 1789. However, in 1796 this settlement was abandoned. Following the first
war of Indian Independence in 1857, the British India Government founded the penal settlement in these
islands in 1858, primarily known as Kalapani, for the transportation of mutineers, political prisoners and
dreaded criminals from the mainland India which continued till the second World War. During the
Second World War, the Japanese forces occupied the Andaman and Nicobar islands in!942. Further
following the surrender of the Japanese forces in the Second World War, the British India Government
reoccupied these in 1945 and continued their administration of these islands till the Independence of the
country in 1947.
Atrocities on the Jarawa Tribe
It has been often alleged that the Jarawa are hostile by nature, attacking people from other tribes or
communities. The picture painted of the Jarawa is one of naked, carrying bows and arrows, ready to
shoot anyone and everyone. But that is not the whole truth. It has been observed that the Jarawa are not
hostile by nature and that they do not attack anyone without reason. They attack only in self defence or
retaliated when they telt that the outsiders were encroaching upon their resources endangering their
own very existence. The following pages try to substantiate through various anecdotes and events the
above argument. Jayant (1990) reports that the Jarawa and the non-Jarawa encounters are not very
uncommon. E\er since the British tried to establish friendly contacts with the Jarawa during the years of
the second penal settlement (1858-1946) and later on by the authorities of the Andaman Administration,
no real headway was made during a period of more than a century. The great Andamanese and the Onge
were friendly, towards outsiders. The Jarawa maintained a tense relationship with all non-Jarawa. If we
seriously ask why always a conflictual relationship prevailed between the Jarawa and the non-Jarawa we
find a startling answer.
1. The Jarawa situation during penal settlement: Earlier a more friendly relationship prevailed between
the Jarawa and the British, so much so that the Jarawa were more friendly than the Onge or the Great
Andamanese. During the first settlement Colebrooke (1789-90) and Blair (1789-96) came in contact
with the Jarawa. Their identity as a separate tribe was not known. Colebrooke met the Jarawa in
December 1789 at Dandas point, kept a wounded person on the ship Ranger for three weeks, also
went up the Bumlitan creek as far as Bumlitan and met another Jarawa and at Mount Pleasant hill
near Viper Island met another Jarawa, who exchanged his now and arrow for a knife. At Dandas
Point he again met the same Jarawa with a woman and a girl and once again found him friendly
(Andaman and Nicobar Gazetteer. 1908:3 1).
2. But during the second penal settlement, efforts to make contacts were futile. The Jarawa had become
hostile.^ It is surprising that the friendly disposition of the Jarawa of 1790 had turned hostile over a
span of 70 years or so. The penal settlement was first established at Chatham Island in 1789. But was
wound up in 1796. The Jarawa living near the present Dandas Point and Bumlitan near the creek
were not particularly affected. The second penal settlement was established in 1858 in Ross Island.
Initially the Jarawa were not affected by the establishment of the penal settlement. The Great
Andamanese also had to suffer on account of the Penal settlement. Frequent incidents of fighting
became a routine. The British were busy making reconciliatory approaches toward the great
Andamanese and not towards the Jarawa. The British opened the Andaman Home for their
experiment with the tribes. This was established in 1863 when they came to know of the Jarawa.
They took help of the Great Andamanese and the armed police, through several expeditions. In all
these expeditions the Jarawa habitant was invariably attacked and damaged. Hence they also
retaliated whenever they could in self-defence. Thus the Jarawa attacks were in order to safeguard
their own interests only in terms of preventing the outsiders from exploiting the natural resources of
their own territory affecting their very existence.
3. The Jarawa attack in December 1875 whereby the Jarawa captured 6 convicts, 5 of them returned
after 19 days. Early next year there was two more expeditions. Again the Jarawa huts were looted
44
and their weapons and utensils brought back. Clashes were ffrequent because the Jarawa now
distrusted everyone. One or two Jarawa were captured
but still there
no breakthrough
i
f
----- was
-------------------- in using
them as go between as help for friendly relations. On the contrary when kept in the Andaman Home,
they became sick and either died after a while or had to be released since the death of a Jarawa in the
custody of the non-Jarawa might have further aggravated the situation.
4. With the help and experience of befriending the Onge, one British administrator tried to establish
friendly contacts with the Jarawa. In the case of the Onge, it was successful The strategy or the
method followed was - capture them, give them good treatment, send them back with lots of gifts,
and wait for their response. The British in fact did follow this strategy by capturing some of them,
treating them nicely, keeping them at his residence for a few days and then releasing them with a lot
of gifts as tokens of friendship. It was successful. But in the case of the Jarawa, it did not work.
Jayant argues that most likely the Jarawa were suspicious and afraid of the experiments on them
through the Onge and the Great Andamanese. Hence the hostility continued. The use of the
Andamanese by Portman was a crucial error resulting in the failure to establish contact with the
Jarawa. There were cases of continuous molesting of the Jarawa and the inciting the coastal
Andamanese against them that triggered off the Jarawa offensive. Cipriani (1966:6) wrote, “It was
our fault if the Jarawa became hostile”. Jayant further gives chronological anecdotes to show how
the outsiders from the time of the British have been responsible for attacks on the Jarawa, their
murders and the destruction of the Jarawa habitat.
5 There was <a lot of encroachment and deforestation by the British. The Jarawa were afraid and
suspicious that this would escalate affecting their' \’ery survival. Hence they were hesitant to accept
any offer from the civilized world. Encroachment on their territory was a provocatioh and caused
fighting.
6
The British used their usual tactics of DIVIDE AND RULE. They exploited the hostility between the
Jarawa and the Onge or between the Jarawa and the great Andamanese. The Great Andamanese took
advantage of the firearms provided by the British to settle scores with the Jarawa. In every
expedition without exception, a large number of Jarawa were killed and their habitat damaged.
By 1902 the Jarawa had become unfriendly. On 24the February 1902 with Vaux as the then D C. in
Port Blair, with the Deputy Conservator of Forests, a policeman. 3 convict seiwants and 16
Andamanese entered the Jarawa area and attacked them. A number of children were captured with
the help of the Andamanese. Meanwhile, the Jarawa shot Vaux who succumbed to his injury.
S
On March 20, 1910, Fawcett who was in military command led a large party on a punitive mission.
The Jarawa were attacked in the middle of the night when they were dancing and celebrating Due to
darkness the Jarawa managed to escape.
9. L. MORGAN led the expedition on 26th February 1918. The Jarawa village was raided One Jarawa
was wounded with buckshot at close range. A good deal of blood flew out which could be seen on
the drain, which the jarawa crossed.
10.
In 1921 ana
and suosequent
subsequent years the Jarawa began to come into the settlement. In 3 years 21 convict
iu. in
settlers were killed and finally another punitive expedition was sent in 1925.
11 Captain West, MC, along with a platoon of 30 men of the Kachin Military Police started operations
simultaneously at Ahpur, Jatang, Middle Strait, Ike Bay and the northern extremity of Southern
Andaman. There was a major attack by the Jarawa on the expeditionists at Ike Bay. About 40 Jarawa
participated in the battle. During the course of operations 37 Jarawa were claimed to have been shot
and were seen to have dropped, but in actuality only 6 were found dead. This expedition did not
owever stop the Jarawa raids. They raided Hobdaypur, Ferrarganj and several other areas. In 1929,
a forest camp at Baja Lungta in Middle Andaman was attacked. The Jarawa were shot during this
encounter.
b
45
In September 1938 an attempt to intercept a party of Jarawa who had killed 3 forest Department
' employees near Waterfall Valley. A police picket on Bluff Island surprised the Jarawa on a raft and an
attempt was made to capture them alive. The Jarawa attacked with the flight of arrows, and the police
replied with buckshot and rifle tire. The Jarawa jumped overboard and swam back to Spike Island with
great ease. One woman and four children remained on the raft and they were brought to Port Blair
(McCarthy 1940).
The hatred of the Jarawa increased due to another incident - During the Japanese occupation (March
1942-1945) indiscriminate bombing, firing in several part of these islands, including the Jarawa territory
- damaging their habitat.
After independence in 1947 the practice of sending punitive expeditions were abandoned and about 765
sq. km. Of the South and Middle Andaman, forest was declared as Jarawa Reserve Forest to provide
them with their own area for their hunting-gathering economy and also to give them some protection.
The Jarawa had no knowledge of it. They felt provoked by influx of people. There was a large-scale
deforestation. There were several developmental activities too. With a view to attaining self-sufficiency
in the matter of food, the policy of colonization of these islands was adopted. The govt, of India
accepted the West Bengal Govt.’s proposal that displaced persons from East Pakistan be rehabilitated in
the Andamans. As a result in 1949. about 178 families came and settled down in the Andamans. In 1950
and 1951 two more batches came and settled down in the vicinity of the Jarawa area. The establishment
of these new settlements must ha\ e had an unending effect on the Jarawa and feeling of insecurity.
There was a feeling of suspicion and hatred towards one another.
Outsiders encroached the Jarawa land without even realizing it. The minority Jarawa had no way of
protesting as others did. As a result, the settlers developed counter-hatred toward the Jarawa. Due to the
encroachment of the land there were resentment, tension, conflict, litigation, etc. Hence they hit back at
outsiders in self-defense.
Dining 1946-81 there were 27 incidents at Jirkatang and 21 incidents at Tirur in south Andaman that led
to damage or casualties amongst the non-tribals. But little is known on the Jarawa side (Report of the
Committee ot Anthropologists on the Jarawa and the Shorn Pen. Part 1, 1981). According to Census of
India 1961 there were as many as 86 cases of the Jarawa raids between 1946 and 1963. Of these in 10
cases 14 non-Jarawa lost their lives and in 3 cases 5 Jarawa were killed and three captured. The Table
below gives a brief account of these 13 incidents (Census of India, 1961.121-4):
Table Jarawa incidents during 1946-1963 causing loss of lives:
SI. No.
Date & place of occurrence
Remarks
1.
14111 Sept. 1948Betapur
30 Jarawa raided the Survey Camp and a coolie
was killed.
2
19lh0ct. 1948
Messrs Joseph. Gupta. Pooviah & Bclliappa came across
3 Jarawa men and a boy. One was shot dead while
escaping and the rest were captured.
Foul Bay, spike Island
1S1 April 1949
Foster Martin Valley, Bajalungta
The Jarawa attacked 5 mazadoor. One was killed and
others escaped.
4
27thc dec. 1949Prolog Jig. Elcwettce 5 Ranchi coolies on pig hunting were atFFRFtacked by
Valley. Middle Andaman
die Jarawa and 2 were killed, one wounded and others
escaped unhurt.
5.
ll11 Jan. 1952 Lakda Lungta,
Middle Andaman
A group of 50 Jarawa attacked die forest camp and
injured one mazadoor. One Jarawa was shot dead.
6.
7lh Oct. 1952North Andaman
The Jarawa in die jungle attacked a cave-cutting party.
46
One mazadoor was killed, one was injured and the
others escaped unhurt
7.
28th Nov. 1952Prolog Jig, Middle About 30 Jarawa attacked labourers working in tiic
forest. One was killed and 2 seripusly injured.
Anadaman
8.
3 Oct. 1957Kalsi Bush, Police The Jarawa attacked 3 Bush Policemen who were having
a wash in a nullah near die outpost. One policeman was
Camp No. 3
injured. Police opened fire and 3 Jarawas were killed, of
whom one was brought to die camp u hilc the remaining
bodies u’ere taken awa\- by the Jarawa.
18 1 April 1960Charalungta, Kalsi Some Jarawa attacked four Bush Policemen. One was
killed. Odicrs escaped unhurt
No. 6
9.
10.
21s* Oct. [960 Post
Randugtan, Tirur
11.
27’Jan 1961 Leaves inlet
2 Karens were killed and their dead bodies
taken away by the Jarawa
12.
12th Feb. 1961
The Jarawa killed a Ranchi forest worker.
No.
3,
The Jarawa attacked 3 Bush Policemen on a patrol duty.
Two were killed and one escaped with a couple of
injuries.
Jishtang
13.
9th Dec. 1968Puttatang
One forest worker was killed bv the Jarawa
_______________________________
(Source: Reference ty Jayant. 1990: 48-49) There is an interesting account of the 11 January 195^ incidents at
Lakda Lungta by S. K.
Gupta in Census of India 1951 (Vol. 17, Pan I & 11. 1955. Appendix A). According to him, the Jarawa
did not shoot before they were shot at and came out in the open, in front of the camp, where they were
four Bush Policemen. This is quite contrary to their ambushing habits. This resentment has, however
been described as incorrect by A. K Ghosh, Chief Commissioner (ibid.), according to him the Jarawa
were in bark armour and were evidently scouts As soon as thev were sighted they shot arrows at the
policemen, slightly injuring one of them When the police fired, one Jarawa dropped dead while others
ran away injured, into the forest.
According to Gupta the Jarawa came out in the open early morning and walked right into the camp,
making no attempt to shoot, indicating of their friendly visits. His explanation is that after the 1949
incidents the Forest Department bottled them between Lewis Inlet and Lakda Lungta on the west and
a zigzag along Yaratil Jig to Rangat and Happy Valley to the east, very narrow at certain points. This
restricted the existence for a people who had been moving within 25 miles of Port Blair. There was an
overture for peace. But this shooting of the Jarawa might in all probability stiffen them up (ibid ).
Cases of the Jarawa attacks after Independence mostly occurred in the vicinity of their territory in
which individuals were set upon. Large-scale attacks in the settlement area were rare. The construction
of the Andaman Trunk Road through South Andaman brought a large number of labourers into the
Jarawa land and also disturbed the area by felling of trees, blasting by explosives, construction of labour
camps, etc. There was an influx of large number of people. The Jarawa had two alternatives.
I
either to surrender to the larger society, or
II. to continue to strive ferociously to maintain their independent existence
There were friendly gestures by Bush Police. Though they were to protect the settlers from Jarawa raids
they visited the Jarawa area of Middle Andaman to drop gifts like coconut pieces of iron, strips of red
cloth, etc. During the second and subsequent Five Year Plan provisions were made for continuing the
practice of leaving such gifts in areas inhabited by the Jarawa.
There was a major breakthrough in the situation.
f
i
47
1. In February 1974, friendly gestures towards a contact party led by members of the Bush Police
SlecTed the gifts
A
h1™ SWam aCr°SS
'a™ °n
2' Da?Di ‘n I968’ ,three Jarawa b°ys were caPtured near a Ullage in Kadamtala and were brought to
Port Blair, were kept for about a month; they were treated well and then set free near their area with
folk)wed^Uantlty Ot 8'ftS (PUndlt 19?4)'
faCt’ tHe meth°d ad°Pted bV Portman in 1879-94 was
3. Some 20 Jarawa men came down to Kadamtala from the nearby forests primarily to take away
whatever jron tools - agricultural implements, nuts and bolts of doors, etc. They were also looking
^or coconuts and bLinches ot bananas. They were unarmed.. The villagers got up when the dogt
barked. Most o them escaped but 3 boys were overpowered. Next day they were brought to Port
Blair and kept these for a month under the observation of 2 anthropologists of the ASI They were
e haSt H t 8
'n
lg 3 PiS (RaZ6q 1968)' THUS there came about a 101 of openness but a
Febmarx 1974 Tt'T m’
■
P°a?erS ‘n the JaraWa
After the breakthrough achieved in
February 974 at least a major incidents of the killing of poachers by the Jarawa or Middle
Andaman have been recorded.
miuuie
Just one year after the first contact with the Jarawa on 9,h February 1975 a party of Karen comprising 10
Jarawa"5 Wth°
CamP 3t
Island near Chhotalingbang Bay was attacked by the Jarawa The
Jarawa captured one Karen and injured 3 others. The body of the captured Karen could not be recovered.
Jrtd'XtestTlnd6^^
T
hP ppp
? P P g ’ deeF
P6"50"5
°ne perS0n managed
Camping there t0 colIect edible
escape. The bodies of the killed could not
resrrtedTkilJnTr'
‘° 5
UP
^h41017 S° Pr0V°ked them that
resorted to killing the poachers. After that the Jarawa became more hostile.
SletVo'und^ntisri7 I t t?0
an°ther y°Ung’ the latter havin= an old Punctured
u let wound on his r ght thigh, expressed their willingness to remain with the Contact Party after the
Ho. e tT35
the b°at Th£y
br°Ught t0 Port Blair and kePt
‘he Government Gues
House. The wound was x-rayed twice. They were taken to different places in Port Blair The
FebruZ^wrthe r^1”
I116111?"4
VerSa' But there W3S n0 con™unication. On 7lh
exnXpH h
3raWa 'Ver£
“ baCk t0 Yad‘ta Point near Chhotalingbang Bay when they
. pressed their desire to return When they had reached, 21 Jarawa were on the shores. They embraced
with tSoved ones" andThT"5
Children'
displayed pleasure and affection on being reunited
meir loved ones, and there was happiness all around (AAJJVS 1977:77-79).
s^meaZtft^1^
'i?1 'Ong'
" g3p °f little less than three months the Jarawa of the
same Chhotalingbang Bay area killed 5 poachers at Flat Island. It was on ^0 April 1977 Matter was
XIthX^tw 2 1977 3 party went to Flat Isla"d Feb7ary .‘988’there Were 28 incidents ofhostile encounters with Jarawa Of
these, in 8 cases 17 non-Jarawa lost them lives. The number of the Jarawa casualties is not known. '
There was another contact trip in April 1985. It showed a friendly disposition of the Jarawa Thev
splayed their possession and played with them. They were friendly with the adjacent villages also
cuttin^som?011118 J13” °f V1IIage Kndamtala was kidnapped by the Jarawa when he was engaged in
manair t
h'S h°me adj3Cent t0 the forest But they untied his hand later Thf boys
. , . & d t0 “cape Now they even trust the Contact Party. It is reported that they leave their oJn
i ren on tie beach and go for their work. Women also are ready to hand over heir babies tn the
°utact arty. On February 3, 1988 at Yadita Point 27 Jarawa of whom 20 were children within the age
yearS’ Were contacted' If was c,ear that the Jarawa had no intention of hurting anyone without
eason or provocation The Jarawa did not equate the member of Contact Party w^ Iher^ho tie Jon
Jarawa. They demonstrated their faith in them.
Y
On‘
On tne basis or the above evidences the author come to the conclusion that
L settlement
““
Were not unfriendly towards the outsiders, at least during the firat penal
2.
_!,Clearing °f the forest du™8 the second Penal settlement reduced their area of
movement and their resources
- —J zone, creating fears that they might lose their territory.
3. Before friendly relations
were established with the Great Andamanese, no efforts were made to
contact the Jarawa.
4. AH the efforts to capture the Jarawa either as part of punitive measure or for befriending them were
made with the help of the Great Andamanese with whom the Jarawa had traditional rivalry Thus
they became non-acceptable to the Jarawa.
y'
5. feninTof'tX111^811^ S the PTm Government like construction of roads, acquisition of land and
hng of trees for rehabilitation have directly affected this small population. Therefore progress has
no been satisfactory m establishing good relations with the Jarawa. though the government has
made sincere efforts in that direction.
ciniuciii nas
6. Poaching in the Jarawa territory and some other provocative incidents, deliberate or otherwise, have
also reduced the pace of such progress.
All the allegations against the Jarawa being hostile are incorrect because they have shown the friendly
gestures right from 1790 as in 1974. It was the attitude and encroachment of the people into 1 r
h afeCt,nS ^eir e\Sterice that made t0 revoit and Potest in forms of skirmishes and attacks
Hence the Jarawa relations have to be understood in their proper perspectix e
In 1969 the government constituted a study team on the Negrito Communit.es of the Andamans The
ush Police force set up in 1905 was recommended for alternatixe function as its objective About the
same time, on the advice of the Ministry of Home Affairs, the government of India an advisory
advisory
committee on Primitive Tribal Groups’ was set up with a view to receiving expert opinion on specific
tribal development policies for this area. The committee included eminent anthropolomsts from
P °
universities and also from Anthropological Survey of India.
It was felt that for the implementation of tribal development policies. a '
voluntary organization would be
more effective. And so the ANDAMAN ADIMJATI VIKAS SAMITI
•1 (AAJVS) was established in
March 1976. The Samiti is financed by the Central Government, channeled through the Andaman
Administration.
After the formation of AAJJVS, a ‘Jarawa cell’ was constituted to consolidate friendship with the
Jarawa and to learn their language in a planned way. The cell comprised representatives of the Andam
llS'np HR?"
P°11Ce’ eXpertS frOm Health DePanment and Anthropological Survey or
incna, Jrort oiair.
J
Keeping in view the suggestions offered by the study team in 1969 the AAVJS formed a sub-committee
o propose a new role for the Bush Police. Based on the recommendations of the sub-committee the
following new roles were prescribed for the Bush Polices
1. To protect the Jarawa tribals though not, of course, at the expense of the non-tribals and to prevent
any untoward incident involving tribals and non-tribals, ensuring at the same time that no annoyance
whatsoever is caused to the Jarawa by any act on the part of the Bush Police
2. To assist and protect official parties workers visiting or working around reserved areas.
3. To make an all out effort to develop better relations with the Jarawa and endeavour to learn their
language.
4. To prevent violation of laws in all the tribal areas of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
•x
I
49
5. To prevent unauthorised persons from entering, shooting, fishing, killing wildlife and otherwise
poaching by land or sea in the tribal areas of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
6. To prevent unauthorised contact with the Jarawa and with other tribal people who are still to react
favourably to modern civilisation in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
7. To prevent entry or intrusion of unauthorised people into the Jarawa and other tribal areas in
Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
8. To prevent removal of any jungle produce by unauthorised people from any tribal area of the
Andaman and Nicobar Islands (AAJVS, 1977:61).
In 1980, a high level committee was constituted as desired by the Prime Minister, Indira Gandhi - to
to
study the effect of the construction of the Andaman Trunk Road which would pass through the Jarawa
area in South Andaman Construction of a 23 km. stretch between 87 km and 110 km points of the
Andaman Trunk Road
The Committee made an on he spot study in 1981. These were the suggestions given:
I.
though the absence of any road would be the ideal condition for the Jarawa, the next alternative
would be
II. to realign the road so as to orient it as far away from the boundary for the Jarawa Reserve as
possible.
Do’s and Don’ts to take note of:
i.
No measure resulting in large-scale deforestation. Hence no permanent camps were encouraged.
ii. No Great Andamanese in the Contact Party but the Onge for help.
iii. No poaching in the Jarawa territory
iv. Medical treatment to the Jarawa
v. Genuine efforts to learn their language
vi. Bring the Jarawa to \ isit and know others
vii. The Sundaram Committee (1969) had recommended in iits report that such gifts be distributed as
may gradually make the Jarawa economically dependentt on the administration. Giving them
coconut, rice, iron, banana, red cloth, etc.
viii.Help of Bush Police to contact and for friendly relations
IX. Effort in bringing about change in the attitude of people towards the Jarawa. Sympathy for them. Not
to look at them as “sub-human'.
50
li
Appendix: Jarawa incidents over 5 years (1983 - February 1988)
Incidents
Persons killed
Persons missing
Persons injured
Jarawa attack on
- 28
- 11
-02
-03
- trucks, forest guards, construction workers, coolies, buffaloes, cows, settlements
The Great Andamanese, Welfare measures & their Problems
According to Chakraborty (1990:55-59) under welfare programme the families of the Great
Andamanese tribe were resettled in 1969 in an island 3.11 sq. km in area, to provide them
protection from exploitation by outsiders. But the resettlement was not congenial to their
traditional activities of hunting, gathering and cultural. They had to cope with the new
environment. It was a traumatic experience for them - there was loss of heir land, loss of socio
cultural piactices, vast land and food resources. Welfare measures were conducted through
AAJJVS 1976: with the following aims.
1. To protect the health and prevent the extinction of the primitive tribal groups
2. To promote their economic and social developments
3. To take a comprehensive view of their problem in view of national policv for their development.
4. To develop measures lor coordination among governmental, institutional and non-uovernmental
organizations for the protection of their economic and social environment, which are essential for
their survival and growth.
To overcome the problem of inter-island communication, the Samiti purchased a vessel with special
central assistance. A jetty has been constructed at Strait Island. The Andaman Administration has also
supplied the Great Andamanese with two country boats for hunting and fishinc
On the recommendation of the Samiti, the Director, Medical and Health Services. Andaman and Nicobar
Islands, has prepared individual charts and case sheets for the tribals to record their physical conditions
They have been given prophylactic immunization against communicable diseases like tuberculosis,
smallpox, diphtheria and tetanus.
The Great Andamanese mostly suffer from anaemia, diarrhea, dysentery and frequent worm infections,
probably from the use of polluted water. There is a loss of resistance. They are confined to unhygie
place with an inadequate knowledge of proper clothing. De-addiction efforts to free them from opium
addiction. A Great Andamanese was sent to the Government Hospital Madras for treatment for a
suspected lung abscess. One of the girls underwent an operation at the Vellore Hospital, Madras for
congenital heart defects.
They were made to be dependent on government for supplies. But there was no variety in the supplies.
They were given the pocket money, which were unfonunately spent on alcoholism. At Strait Island there
was a generator. There was a television set at Port Blair. Strait Island was closed to the visitors. Coconut
plantation. But they do not consume even one coconut a week.
Medical department deputes compounder for 3 to 6 months. But there is negligence of their duty. They
are addicted to alcoholism; therefore medicines do not work. Their community centre is used as Balwadi
School. Books and charts are supplied.
The police party posted there to check the intruders in the island has cleared parts of the virgin forest to
collect commercial timber for their personal use.
The 3.11 sq. km island housing 28 surviving Great Andamanese is <overburdened by the posting o 14
outsiders (7 police personnel, one compounder, an electric generator operator, a wireless> operator, a
51
plantation in charge with his family and a social worker). It is time to check on the posting of outsiders
in order to prevent the collection and misuse of natural resources in and around the island, it is
imperative that the resources are exploited exclusively in the interests of the Great Andamansese.
*
Free ration makes them idea and corrupt. They should be encouraged to work and earn their living.
Finally, the persons who are to be deputed to these regions for the welfare of these tribals must be welltrained in welfare activities. The senior officials in the AAJJVS have a more sympathetic and
humanitarian attitude towards the vanishing tribe and should be dedicated to their work.
Conclusion:
The Great Andamanese originally consisted of 10 distinct tribes with separate territorial affiliations and
their respective dialects. All these tribes could be broadly divided in two groups: (i) the Northern, and
(ii) the Southern. Of these 10 six have become extinct now. The remaining four are facing the threat of
extinction. The population of the Great Andamanese has declined for several reasons:
1. About 1788-89 the Andamanese with a population of 5,000-8,000 resisted the first attempt of the
British while establishing a settlement there. The encounters resulted in the loss of a large number of
the tribals. Decline also due to vices borrowed from the new settlers - addiction to alcoholism and
opium, syphilis, venereal diseases. Europeans introduced several diseases like measles, dysentery, T.
B., venereal diseases, etc.
Every prey to disease it small group for the following reasons:
1. endogamous marriage - the disease can spread easily
2. this is further accelerated due to their ignorance of the dire consequences of the diseases
3. The outsiders, i.e., the bearers of such diseases would not care either to enlighten the tribals about
preventive measures or to get them cured.
4.
Their lack of knowledge about these alien diseases deprives them of the opportunity to adopt any
remedial measures, and this as. Rivers pointed out they lose all interest in life and wait for total
extinction.
The Acute Problem face by the great Andamanese:
1. Scarcity ot manageable mates. Presently only 9 females and 14 males. Most women incompatible in
age
No maintenance of traditional territorial affiliation. No longer former tribal or local group affiliation.
3. Failure to retain their language. Picking up Hindi words.
4. Former system of territorial rights of hunting, fishing and gathering has ceased to exist due to
extreme depopulation coupled with the concentration of population at one place.
5. Dependence on sea and forest has disappeared.
6. No one left with proper knowledge of their old life cycle rituals
7. Contact with outsiders for over a century. But cultural divide between the Andamanese and the
outsiders.
8. Change and persistence. As far as the language is concerned, there is infiltration of Hindi. In
economy, several food items are adopted. Socio-cultural rituals - there is resistance to outsiders but
there is also a simplification of the traditional. In matters of belief and practice — maintaining more
or less traditional forms.
Contact with the Onge: A Historical Overview
In his study Basu (1990) finds that the Onge were isolated from the civilized world. There was no
communication with the outside world except with the unfortunate shipwrecked crews whom they had
52
murdered. For a considerable period the Onge could successfully thwart all attempts at contact for
conciliation by outsiders through their hostility towards all strangers. In 1867 the Captain and’7
crewmembers of the ship Assam Valley who landed in Little Andaman to cut spar never returned. A
search party led by Mr. Homfrey was sent for the missing persons, but the party failed in its mission due
to the hostility of the Onge. Then the ICS Aracan, sent on a punitive expedition to the island, located the
remains of the murdered men. The expedition resulted in severe fighting, with the Onge killin" at least
70 of them (Census of India 1931).
The next expedition was sent from Port Blair in 1873 under the leadership of General Sir Donald
Stewart. When the members of the expedition trained to land at Jackson Creek the tribal people attacked
them. After that, some sailors of a Burmese ship Quangoon landed for water at Hut bay the present
headquarters of Little Andaman only to be attacked and killed by the tribal people. Consequently, in
retaliation a punitive expedition under Captain Wimberley was sent to Hut Bay, and the party killed a
?e^beir °f Com"lunaI huts and canoes After this massacre any outsider did not visit the island until
1878. It was in the same year that Col. Cadell and Portman. on their way back from the Nicobar Islands
had succeeded in meeting a group of the Onge in Little Andaman who were not hostile and in fact
embraced the Great Andamanese who accompanied the expedition party. But the strangers were
attacked by another group of the Onge at another point of the island. Numerous gifts were left with the
group that showed the first sign of friendliness, for future encouragement.
More conciliatory efforts were made. More visits and presents followed. The British administration s
policy - to capture them, treat them well and send them back with "ifts. Col T. Cadell and Portman were
given the main responsibility of carrying out the expeditions for establishing contacts. Presents were left
at different places. Parties refrained from counter-attacking. During an expedition to Cinque Island in
885, twenty-four tribals (8 men + 6 women + 10 children) were caught. They were thought to be
Jarawa. But they were from Little Andaman who had come there in search of turtle eggs in their own
canoes. Eleven of tribals were brought to Port Blair; the rest were released with their canoes Good
treatment was meted out to them.
In 1886-87 Portman became the first man who dared to stay on Little Andaman for two and a half
months in all-subsequent visit. Portman and his men never encountered hostility from the Onrie In 1930
three Onge were persuaded to accompany the Census Superintendent Mr Bonington to car Nicobar
along with a few Great .Andamanese as guards. The Onge were frightened of the Nicobarese As a result
one escaped and never returned. Another jumped in the sea and drowned himself. The remainin" had to
be kept locked up, to be released in Little Andaman subsequently. There were regular visits The On"e
earnt the use of iron during the visit of Malay pirates or Chinese traders. They used to collect iron
pieces from the shipwrecks. Iron was in use before their contact with Portman. There was th.
introduction of the dogs among the Onge only after the establishment of contact.
Rehabilitation & Settlement:
Their huts were disturbed and canoe plundered and many of them were killed during the course of
reconciliation attempted by the British. In a state of destitution to languish. There were changes from the
British to Japanese and back to British aggravated the situation.
It was only after the formation of the AAJJVS that certain welfare measures were taken up amon" the
Onge. Then the Onge were living in groups at Dugong Creek. Jackson Creek and South Bay As a°first
st ep towards weIfare, the Onge of Dugong Creek and Jackson Creek were rehabilitated at Dugon" Creek
and the South Bay group was settled where it was.
°
1
dugong Creek Settlement: it is two hours from Hut Bay on motor boat. It was set up during 1976-77
here were 26 wooden huts. There was a dispensary, a powerhouse, multi-purpose cooperative
Society and residence of staff of the Samiti, and a nursery school
2. The South bay Settlement: it is 22 km South of Hut Bay. It came to being about 1980 in small with
only 5 wooden houses. It was constmcted by the welfare agency. The houses are similar to those of
Dugong Creek Plantation in charge for practical purposes was responsible for the Onge’s welfare.
<•
b
53
j
The Onge prefer to live in traditional houses. They keep change in site of habitation due to severe tick
problem, and in event of death in the settlement.
The Administration had started lots of welfare schemes. The establishment of AAJJVS in 1976 was
helpful. They were rehabilitated They have given job for the Onge to collect coconuts. There are
horticulture and agriculture schemes for them.
My own observation on the Government schemes and the approach of the AAJJVS is that there is
seemingly a good will but when it comes to taking the real stand in favour of the Andamanese tribes that
may adversely affect the interests of the Settlers, the agencies involved in the development works go
back on their policies of support to the primitive tribes. Hence, the claims of the Government (Refer to
the recent visit of Shri Jual Oram, the Minister of Tribal Affairs to the Andaman & Nicobar Islands from
9" to 13” November 2000.) and those of the AAJJVS of the tribal welfare and their safeguarding of the
interests ot the tribes have to be taken with a pinch of salt.
References:
1.
Agarwal, H. N. THE ANDAMAN AND NICOBAR INFORMATION. Independence Da/
1.
Andaman Adim Janjati Vikas Samiti. RETRIEVAL FROM THE PREJUDICE. Port Blair; 1977
2.
Ayyar, T. G. N. “Meet Our Onge”, THE ANDAMAN AND NICOBAR INFORMATION
1957,2:10.
2.
Basu, Badal Kumar THE ONGE. Calcutta: Seagull Books; 1990.
3.
Basu, B. K. THE ONGE KINSHIP SYSTEM. Port Blair: Anthropological Survey of India
^4 man 3nd N'C0bar island Tribe Series (Series Editor K- S Singh)- Calcutta: Seagull Books.
4.
Basu, D. N. Linguistic Introduction to Andamanese. BULLETIN OF THE
ANTHROPOLOGICAL SURVEY OF INDIA 1952. 1(2): 55-70,
5.
■ “Note on the Andamanese Language". INDIAN LINGUISTICS. 1955. 16:214-225.
6. --------------- "Accounts of Great Andamanese dance, song and mythology”. INDIAN FOLKLORE.
1957. 2(1): 91-96.
7. Bhatt, S C (ED.) THE ENCYCLOPAEDIC DISTRICT GAZETTEERS OF INDIA. SOUTHERN
ZONE (VOL. 1). New Delhi: Cyan Publishing House. 1998, pp. 27-54.
8. Blair, Archibald "Survey of the Andamanese" Selection from the records of the Government of
India from department. 1993. No. 24.
9. Bose, Ashish. POPULATION PROFILE OF RELIGION IN INDIA. Delhi: B R. Publishing
Corporation, 1997.
10----------------- ■ DEMOGRAPHIC DIVERSITY OF INDIA. Delhi: Publishing Corporation, 1998.
11. Buchi, E. C. “The Onge of Little Andaman". MARCH OF INDIA. 1953. 6(2): 50-53. 64-66.
------------- Onge of Little Andaman’ THE ADIVAS1. New Delhi: Government of India. 1955.
13. Cadell, T. Andamans and Andamanese. SCOTTISH GEOGRAPHICAL MAGAZINE 1889 5'5773.
14. Cappieri, M. "Andamanese - a dwindlina race" CONGRESS OF THE ITALIAN SOCIETY FOR
ADVANCEMENT OF SCIENCE. 1942
--------------- Some essential features of the Andamanese anthropology and demo^enetir
JOURNAL OF THE ANTRHOPOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF BOMBAY 1953.15:90-165.
16. Chakraborty, D. K. THE GREAT ANDAMANESE. The ASI Andaman and Nicobar Island Tribe
Senes. (Senes Editor K. S. Singh). Calcutta: Seagull Books. 1990.
17. Chengappa, B. S. "In the land of hostile Jarawa and other wild tribes of Andaman Islands” INDIAN
FORESTER. 1958 84:108-120.
18. Choudhury, N. C. “Onges of Little Andaman: 20 years after”
RESEARCH. 1976. 19(2): 51-63.
JOURNAL OF SOCIAI
19. Cipriani, Lidio. Report on the Survey of Little Andaman during 1951-53” BULLETIN OF THE
ANTHROPOLOGICAL SURVEY OF INDIA. 1953 2(1): 61-82
20 .
Survey of Little Andaman during
during 1954”.
ANTHROPOLOGICAL SURVEY OF INDIA. 1954. 3(2): 66-94
BULLETIN
OF
THE
“Jarawa Problem”. BULLETIN OF BIHAR TRIBAL RESEARCH INSTITUTE.
21
1959. 1.43-55.
■
i
. “Hygiene and medical practices among the Onge”. ANTHROPOS. 1961. 56: 481-
22.
500.
<23..“Recent
Anthropological
ANTHROPOLOGY. 1961. 3: 208-214.
work
in
Little
Andaman”.
CURRENT
24. Croley, T. V. “In the land of hostile Jarawas and other wild tribes of the Andamans. INDIAN
FORESTER. 1958. 84 449
2
Das, S. T. THE INDIAN ISLANDS, A Study of Habitat, economy and Society. New Delhi:
Cosmo Publications; 1982.
25.
Dodson, G. R. “On the Andamanese and andamans”. JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL
ANTHROPOLOGICAL INSTITUTE. 1877. 6: 209-214.
4.
Fuchs, Stephen. THE ABORIGINAL TRIBES IN INDIA. New Delhi: Inter-India Publications.
1992; pp. 275-80
26.
Ganguly, P. and Paul. Anadi. “Notes on the material culture of the Jarawa of great Andaman”.
1962. ETHNOS. 1962. 27: 84-98.
27.
28.
. “Onge Harpoon and spear” ANTHROPOS. 1963. 58: 557-560.
Ghosh, A. K. CENSUS OF INDIA, 1951; “The Andaman and Nicobar Islands”. Vol. XVII.
1955 (Pt.l&ll).
5.
Ittaman, K. P A MINI ISLANDERS. New Delhi: Abhinav publications; 1976.
29.
Majumdar, R. C PENAL SETTLEMENT IN ANDAMANS. New Delhi: Gazetteers Unit,
Department of Culture. Ministry of Education and Social Welfare. 1975.
6.
Man, Edward Horace. ABORIGINAL INHABITANTS OF THE .AND.AMAN ISLAND. Delhi.
Sanskaran Prakashak; 1975.
30. Mauat, Frederic. THE ANDAMAN ISLANDERS. London: Hurst and Blackett Publishers, 1863.
31. Pandit, T. N. “Tribes of Andaman and Nicobar Islands”, in Singh, K. S. (ed.), THE TRIBAL
SITUATION IN INDIA. Shimla: Indian Institute of Advanced Study. 1986, pp. 239-257.
32. Pankaj, Sekhsaria. “Jarawa Excursions”, FRONTLINE, July 17, 1998, pp. 66-71.
“Tribal Trauma - the Andamans Story". THE HINDU, Sunday, June 6, 1999.
33
34.. “A People in Peril”, FRONTLINE, May 7, 1999, pp. 67-71.
35. Radcliffe-Brown, A. THE ANDAMAN ISLANDERS. Cambridge: At the University Press, 1922.
7.
Sarkar, Jayant. THE J AR AW A. Calcutta: Seagull Books; 1990.
36.
Singh, K. S. THE SCHEDULED TRIBES. ANTHROPOLOGICAL SURVEY OF INDIA.
Delhi. Oxford University Press, 1994.
37.
ANDAMAN AND NICOBAR ISLANDS. Madras: Affiliated East-West
Press Pvt. Ltd., 1994.
8.
Tamta, B. R. ANDAMAN AND NICOBAR ISLANDS. New Delhi: National Book Trust; 1993.
38.
Venkateswar, Sita. “The Jarawa of the Andaman Islands”, INDIGENOUS AFFAIRS,
International Work Group for Indigenous Affairs, No. 2 - April-May-June 2000, pp. 32-8.
Reports:
1. Annual Report, Ministry of Home Affairs, 1997-98.
56
2
r.. .
h
Visit of Shri Jual Oraom, Hon’ble Minister of tribal Affairs. Government of India to Andaman &
Nicobar Islands (09th to 13^ November 2000))
1
r
I
TH'
Terms of Reference
Andaman Fact-finding Mission, October 2002
i. To document the living conditions and situation of the threatened indigenous
peoples, namely the Great Andamanese, the Onge, the Jarawa and the
Shompen (including human rights violations) directly (where possible) and
from secondary sources
2. To identify and record the threats faced by these threatened peoples viz.
Environmental destruction, deforestation, encroachment by state and settlers,
development projects and activities, tourism, forced assimilation, physical
violence etc. their extent and impacts including health related threats.
3. To locate the source of these threats and methods employed,
4. To critically review the role and functions of the administration in protecting
these indigenous peoples and/or abetting the forces that threaten the survival
of these indigenous peoples,
5. To critically review the role and functions of such state institutions as the
Anthropological Survey of India and Andaman Adim Janajati Vikas Samiti,
Forest Department etc.,
6. To review the functioning, adequacy or inadequacy of the specific laws (as the
Andaman and Nicobar Protection of Aboriginal Tribes Regulation, 1957),
policies (as the references in National Forest Policy), plans (as the Master
Plan <1991-2021> for Welfare of Primitive Tribes of Andaman and Nicobar
Islands, tourism projects etc.) that have been in operation in the past and
present.
7. To evaluate the attitude and approach of the settlers, and their social and
political organisations, towards the indigenous peoples including elected
representatives of various levels.
8. To specifically evaluate the intentions and consequences of official
expeditions into the territories of the threatened indigenous peoples.
9. To review the situation with reference to the Constitution and legal provisions,
LLO Conventions 106 and 169 and the UN Draft Declaration of the Rights of
Indigenous Peoples,
10. To formulate a list of demands in terms of actions to be carried out to prevent
the threats, protect and promote the threatened indigenous peoples.
Kb
A <7
j\_<L
f
’V.‘
11. To formulate policies and guidelines to be followed, both short term and long
term.
12. To make recommendations for changes in laws, policies and plans, and
suggest mechanisms to monitor their implementation.
II
*
W.P(C)No. 202 OF 1995
ITEM Nos. 16 to 25 & 29 COURT No. 1 SECTION PIL
SUPREMECOURTOFINDIA
RECORD OF PROCEEDINGS
ITEM NO. 16
I. A. No. 502 in W.P.(C) No. 202/1995
T.N. GODAVARMAN THIRUMALPAD Petitioner
VERSUS
UNION OF INDIA & ORS. Respondents
(for intervention)
with LA. No. 737 in LA. No. 502 in W.P.(C) No. 202/1995
(for directions)
ITEM NO. 17-635 in W.P.(C) No. 202/95.
(for impleadment and directions)
ITEM NO.18@@
CCCCCCCCCC
LA. Nos. 697-698 in W.P.(C) No. 202/95.
(for directions and exemption from filing O.T.)
ITEM NO.19@@
CCCCCCCCCC
I.A. Nos. 695 With 706 m LA. Nos.695-696 in W.P.(C) No. 202/95
(for directions and exemption from filing O.T.)
ITEM NO.20@@
CCCCCCCCCC
LA. Nos.723-724 in W.P.(C) No. 202/95.
(for intervention and clarification/modification)
WITH
LA. No. 711 in LA. No. 502 in W.P. (C) No. 502/1995
(For intervention/modification/clarification and directions)
ITEM N0.21@@
CCCCCCCCCC
LA. No. 566 in W.P.(C) No. 202/1995.
(Suo-motu action taken by this Hon'ble Court on the statement of Mr.
K.N. Raval, learned Additional Solicitor General on behalf of Central
Government showing the position of the cases approved for diverting a
forest land stipulation for compensatoiy afforestation under the
Forest Conservation Act and the compensatoiy’ afforestation done funds
to be utilised and actually utilised).
ITEM NO.22 @@
ccccccccccc
I.A. No. 738 in LA. No. 502 in W.P.(C) No. 202/1995
(for intervention on behalf of Andaman Furniture Industries
Association)
with
I.A. No. 739 in I.A. No. 502 in W.P.(C) No. 202/1995
(for clarification/modification of order dated 23.11.2001 on
behalf of Andaman Furniture Industries Association)
.PA
:2:
With
W.P.(C) No. 118/2002 (Asliit Baran Chakravort)7 vs. Uol)
ITEM NO.23@@
CCCCCCCCCC
I.A. No. 295 in W.P.(C) No. 202/1995
(interim application through Amicus Curiae for directions regarding
the State of Assam PCCF Order dated 12.2.1998)
ITEM NO.24@@
CCCCCCCCCC
I. A. No. 424 in WP (C) 202/1995
(Interim application on behalf of the applicant. Santosh Bharti)
With
I.A. No. 729 in I.A. No. 424 in W.P. (C) No. 202/1995
(For modification of Court's order dated 22/09/2000)
ITEM NO. 25@@
CCCCCCCCCCC
Contempet Petitition (C) No. 193/2001 in W.P. (C) No. 202/1995
[District Forest Officer. Tamil Nadu Vs. Gowri Shankar]
AND
ITEM NO. 29@@
ccccccccccc
IA NOS. 754 & 755 in WP (C) No. 202/1995
T.N. Godavarman Thiruinalpad Vs. Union of India & Ors.
(For directions and impleadment)
Date : 07/05/2002 These Petitions were called on for hearing today.
CORAM :
HON’BLE THE CHIEF JUSTICE
HON'BLE MR. JUSTICE ARIJIT PASAYAT
HON’BLE MR. JUSTICE H.K. SEMA
Amicus Curiae Mr. Harish N Salve, SG (AC)
Mr. U U Lalit, Adv. (AC)
Mr. Siddharth Chaudhaiy, Adv.
For Petitioner(s) Mr. Mahendra Vyas, Adv.
Mr. P K Manohar, Advs.
I
For Ministry of Environ
ment & Forests/Uol Mr. A D N Rao, Adv.
Mr. R N Poddar, Adv.
Mr. S Wasim A Qadri, Ms. Alka Agarwal,
Mr. A K Rama, Mr. P Parmeswaran,
Ms. Anil Katiyar and Mr. B V Balram
Das. Advs.
For M/o Railways Mr. Mukul Rohtagi. ASG.
Ms. Alka Agarwal. Ad\.
Mr. B. V. Balaram Das. Adv.
...3/.PA
:3:
For Applicant (s)
IA 695 & 706 Mr. S Ravindra Bhat, Adv.
Mr. Prashant Bhushan. Adv.
IA 737 Mr. Altaf Alunad. ASG
Mr. Monoher Singh Bakshi. Ms. Sunita Shanna,
Mr. Ashok Blian and Mr. D S Mahra, Advs.
IA 502 Mr. Colin Gonsalves. Adv.
M/s. Ritwick Dutta. Vipin Mathew Benjamin,
Apama Bhat and Sweta Kakkad, Advs.
IAs 634-635,697-698 Mr. Mukul Rohtagi, ASG
Ms. Tasneem Ahmadi. Mr. Bharat Sangal,
Ms. Sangeeta Panicker and Mr. R K Mecolt
Singh, Advs.
IA 723-724 Mr. K K Venugopal, Sr. Adv.
Mr. Gopal Jain, Adv.
Ms. Ruby Singh Ahuja. Adv.
IA 711 Mr. M N Krishnamani, Sr. Adv.
Mr. Parthapratim ChaudhurL Adv.
Mr. Soumyajit Pani, Adv.
Mr. K S Rana, Adv.
IA 738 & 739 Mr. S Muralidhar, Adv.
Mr. S Vallinayagam, Adv.
Mr. Shreyas Jayasimha. Adv.
in WP 118/02 Mr. M L Lahoty, Adv.
Mr. Paban K Sharma, Adv.
Mr. Himanshu Shekhar, Adv.
in IA 295 Mr. Harish N. Salve, S.G. (A.C.)
Mr. Siddharth Choudhary, Adv.
Mr. U.U. Lalit, Adv. (A.C.)
in IA 424 Mr. Vivek Tankha, Adv. Genl.
Mr. S.K. Agnihotri, Adv.
Mr. Rohit K. Singh, Adv.
Mr. Anil Kumar Pandey, Adv.
in IA 729 Mr. Prakash Shrivastava, Adv.
in IAs 754 & 755 Mr. Raj Panjwani, Adv.
Mr. Vijay Panjwani, Adv.
in Cont. Petn. 193/01 Mr. V. Balaji. Adv.
Mr. P.N. Ramalingam, Adv.
Ms/ Arputham Aruna & Co., Advs.(NP)
For Respondent(s)
State of Assam Ms. Krishna Sanna, Adv.
Ms. Asha G Nair and Mr. V.K. Siddliartltan,
Advs. for M/s. Corporate Law Group. Advs.
Andaman & Nicobar Mr. Altaf Ahmad, ASG
Administration Ms. Sunita Sharma and Mr. Ashok Bhan. and
Mr. D.S. Mahra. Adv.
....4/.PA
:4:
State of Andlira Pradesh Mr. T V Ratnain, Adv.
Mr. K Subba Rao, Adv.
State of Arunachal Mr. Anil Shrivastav, Adv.
Pradesh
State of Bihar Mr. B B Singh. Adv.
State of Chhatisgarh Mr. Prakash Shrivastava, Adv.
UT of Chandigarh Ms. Kamini Jaisvval, Adv.
Ms. Aishwarya Rao, Adv.
UT of Daman & Diu, Mr. Kailash Vasdev, Sr. Adv.
Dadra & Nagar Haveli Ms. Sunita Shanna, Adv.
& Lakshadweep Mr. D S Mahra, Adv.
State of Goa Ms. A Subhashini, Adv.
State of Gujarat Ms. Hemantika Wahi, Adv.
Ms. Sumita Hazarika and Ms. Aruna
Gupta, Advs.
State of Haryana Mr. J P Dhanda, Adv.
Ms. Raj Rani Dhanda, Mr. K P Singh
and Mr. D S Nagar, Advs.
State of Himachal
Pradesh Mr. Naresh K Shanna, Adv.
State of Jharkhand Mr. Amp Baneijee, Adv.
Mr. Ashok Mathur, Adv.
State of Karnataka Mr. Sanjay R Hegde, Adv.
Mr. Satya Mitra. Adv.
State of Kerala Mr. K R Sasiprabhu. Adv.
State of Mizoram Mr. Hemantika Wahi, Adv.
Ms. Sumita Hazarika and Ms. Aruna Gupta,
Advs.
State of M.P. Mr. Vivek Tanklia. Adv. Genl.
Mr. S K Agnihotri. Adv.
Mr. Anil Kumar Pandc). Ad\.
Mr. Rohit K Singh. Adv.
State of Meghalaya Mr. Ranjan Mukherjee, Adv.
State of Manipur Mr. Gireesh Kumar, Adv.
Mr. K H Nobin Singh. Adv.
State of Maharashtra
Mr. S S Shinde and Mr. S V Deshpande, Advs.
State of Nagaland Mr. Kailash Vasdew Sr. Adv.
Ms. V D Khanna. Ad\.
State of Orissa Mr. Raj Kumar Mehta. Adv.
....5/.PA
:5:
Govt, of Pondicheny Mr. V G Pragasam, Adv.
State of Punjab Mr. Atul Nanda, Dy. Adv. Genl.
Mr. Rajeev Sharma. Adv.
State of Sikkim Mr. A Mariarputham, Adv.
Ms. Aruna Mathur. Mr. Anurag D Mathur,
Advs. for Arputham Aruna & Co., Advs.
State of Tripura Mr. Gopal Singh. Adv.
Mr. Rahul Singh, Adv.
State of Uttaranchal Ms. Rachna Srivastava, Adv.
Mr. Mahesh C. Kaushiwa, Adv.
■
Mr. Ajay K. Agarwal, Adv.
Mr. Mahesh Chandra, Adv.
State of U.P. Mr. Ajay K Agrawal, Adv.
Ms. Alka Agarwal, Adv.
State of West Bengal Mr. Avijit Bhattacharjec, Adv.
Mr. Atanu Saikia, Adv.
For UOI in IA 295 & Mr. Soli J. Sorabjee, A.G.
424 Mr Prateek Jalan, Adv.
Mr. R.N. Poddar, Adv.
Mr. B. V. Balaram Das. Adv.
in CP 193/2001 Mr. Joseph Pookkatt. Adw
Mr. Prashant Kumar, Adv.
Mr. Prasenjit Keswani, Adv.
UPON hearing counsel, the Court made the following
ORDER
,T.
...... L...... I.
T. T. T. ,T. J
.SP2
After hearing the learned Amicus Curiae, counsel
for the parties and taking into consideration the affidavit
of the Union of India - Ministry of Environment and Forests
in relation to survey of eco-system of Andaman and Nicobar
Islands, the learned Amicus Curiae lias made certain
suggestions.
There does not seem to be any objection to tins
Court in accepting the Report of Shri Shekhar Singh that
some modifications have been suggested. We therefore, in
the first instance, accept the Report of Shri Shekhar
Singh.
....6/.PA
:6:
On a query being raised by us. Mr. Altaf Ahmed,
learned Additional Solicitor General, appearing for The
Union Territory of Andaman & Nicobar Islands on
instructions informed the Court that there is no social
forestry in Andaman & Nicobar Islands. The wood which is
being cut is from the natural forest and plantation of teak
etc. has taken place in the forest, which had been worked
and approximating 40,000 cubic metres of wood is cut from
the forest annually for the purposes of the small mills the
total logging of wood being approximately 1,30.000 cubic
metres per year. In the last two years, this figure has
come down but the fact remains that instead of resorting to
social forestry and thereby providing employment to the
people in growing forest at the present moment the natural
forests are being cut and the timber sawn.
Andaman & Nicobar Islands is one of the hot spots
and is in the eco-ffagile area and lias, therefore, the
eco-diversity thereby has to be preserved. For this, it is
essential that the natural forest is protected and
re-generation allowed to take place.
1
We are also informed that the existing saw-mills
have a subsisting licence valid till 30th March, 2003. The
saw-mills and the other wood-based industries in the
Andaman & Nicobar Islands are not permitted to cut the
trees and supplies to them are made only by the Government
itself or through its Corporation. Some of these saw-mills
and industries have logs of wood and sawn timber in their
stock. It would therefore be iniquitous to deprive litem of
an opportunity to utilise the stock for which payment has
been made to the Government for the purchase of wood.
However, it is to be borne in mind tliat fresh logging of
wood must cease immediately.
After taking all facts and circumstances into
consideration, we issue the following directions:
(1) All felling of trees from the forest of little
Andaman Islands, the national park and sanctuaries, the
tribal reserves and all other areas shall stand suspended.
(2) For the areas in which there are working plans,
the Government through the Chief Secretary shall disclose
on an affidavit (i) The extent of felling and re-generation permitted
under these working plans during the last 10 years.
(ii) The compliance with re-generation/re-planatation/
re-forestation targets under the working plans and reasons
if any for the shortfall.
(3) The working plan of the Andaman & Nicobar Islands
should be re-worked on the basis as was applied to the
State of M.P. and others, namely that before any felling
of trees, there should first be compulsory
afforestation/re-generation, the felling pennissions would
be based upon the extent of re-generation of forest
undertaken and not the other way round.
....9/,PA
:9:
(4) No felling of tree (under the working plan or
otherwise) shall be permitted for meeting any raw material
requirements of the plywood, veneer, black board, match
stick or any other wood-based industiy.
(5) In drawing up the new working plans the Government
shall formulate a Committee with one Ecologist who is
proficient with the ecology of Andaman.
(6) The working plans so formulated shall be placed
before this Court within a period of twleve weeks.
(7) The trees felled under the working plan in the
manner indicated aforesaid should be utilised for the
requirements of the local inhabitants.
(8) The licences of all the saw-mills and wood-based
industries shall not be renewed after 31st March, 2003.
This will not debar the authorities from cancelling
licences in accordance with law, if there is no breach of
the Licence Committee by the Licencees before that date.
(9) The ecology of the area does not permit any kind of
industrial activity for which the wood is likely to be
consumed. Therefore, licences of wood-based industries
shall stand cancelled but they will be permitted to exhaust
the existing stock till 31st March, 2003.
...9/.PA
: 9:
(10) The Union of India if it so adopts and thinks
appropriate may take steps for re-locating the dislocated
wood-based industries in the main land area anywhere in
India as long as it is not within the vicinity of forest
area. Henceforth for meeting the local requirements it is
only the Government saw-mills which shall operate.
No fresh w ood or logs shall be given to any of the
saw-mills or the wood-based industries till fresh working
plans are prepared and submitted to this Court and the
approval obtained.
(11) With immediate effect, there will be no movement of
logs or timber in any form including sawn timber from
Andaman & Nicobar Islands to any part of India or anywhere
else.
(12) Regularisation of encroachments on forest land in
any form, including allotment/use of forest land for
agricultural or horticultural purposes, shall be strictly
prohibited.
(13) All those families who have been identified as
having encroached on forest land prior to 1978 and have not
yet shifted to their allotted rehabilitation sites, shall
be given one month's notice to vacate their encroachments
and shift to the allotted land. Failing this, their
...10/.PA
: 10:
allotment shall be cancelled and they shall be forcibly
evicted within three months of the deadline being over,
without any further claim to land or any other form of
rehabilitation. Such notices should be issued within six
weeks.
(14) Similarly, those among the pre-1978 families that
liavc shifted to their allotted sites but have occupied more
land than they were entitled to shall also be given one
month's notice to vacate the extra land occupied by them.
On die expiry of this notice period, tlie allotments of
those who have not complied with tliis notice shall be
cancelled and they should be forcibly evicted within three
months, without any further claim to compensation or kind.
Such notices should be issued within six weeks.
(15) All post 1978 forest encroachments shall be
completely removed within three months.
(16) For the eviction of encroachers, an effective
action plan shall be prepared and implemented under direct
supervision, monitoring and control of a Committee under
lire Chairmanship of the Lt. Governor with Chief Secretary',
Principal Chief Conservator of Forests and reputed NGO
representatives, its members. The Chief Secrcataiy,
Andaman & Nicobar Islands, shall file even' month an
affidavit about progress of ev iction of encroachments.
...11/PA
: 11 :
(17) The process of issue of identity cards to all the
residents shall be completed within a period of six months.
(18) The extraction of sand snail be phased out @
minimum 20% per year on reducing balance basis to bring the
sand mining to the level of 33% of the present level of
mining within a maximum period of 5 years.
(19) The approvals accorded by Ministry of Environment &
Forests under the Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980. shall
be reviewed by a Committee consisting of Secretaiy,
Environment & Forests, Director General of Forests and at
least one non-official member of the Forest Advisory
Committee constituted under the Forest (Conservation) Rules
to restrict the approvals to the barest minimum needed to
serve emergent public purposes. Felling of trees shall
commence only after the process of compensatory
afforestation has actually been undertaken on the ground.
In future, the proposals shall be considered for approval
only after detailed Environmental Impact Assessment has
been carried out through an independent agency identified
by Ministry of Environment & Forests.
(20) Specific actions shall be undertaken by Ministry of
Environment & Forests/Andaman & Nicobar Islands
Administration on the other recommendations of Shri Shekhar
Singh Report which arc not specifically dealt with in above
....12/PA
: 12 :
orders. Ministry' of Environment & forests and tlie Andaman
& Nicobar Islands Administration shall file an affidavit
within three months giving details of action taken by them
on each of such recommendations.
Copy of this order be sent by tlie Registry to tlie
Cliief Secretaiy, Andaman & Nicobar Islands for information
and compliance.
IA NOs. 502, 737 in 502. 695, 723-724, 711, 738 in 502 739W
EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEFF
Petn.(C) 193/2001@@
EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
List after the ensuing summer vacation.
IA NOs. 634-635 & 697-698@@
EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
List on 9th May, 2002.
IA No. 295@@
EEEEEEEEEE
Learned Attorney General states tliat in principle
it is necesary and desirable that a National Empowered
Committee should be constituted. He states that certain
modalities have to be worked out before the order in this
behalf could be finally passed. In view of the above, to
come up on 9th May, 2002.
...13/.PA
: 13 :
IA No. 566@@
EEEEEEEEEE
!
To come up for further orders after the ensuing
summer vacation.
IA Nos. 754 & 755@@
EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
Issue notice. Stay of the High Court order in the
meanwhile.
,SP1
Kalyani. (S.L. GOYAL)@@
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
COURT MASTER @@
A AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
i
*i
BACKGROUND INFORMATION ON AICFAIP
The All India Coordinating Forum of Adivasis/Indigenous Peoples (AICFAIP) is a
collective expression of resistance, struggles and solidarity. It emerged from various
processes at different levels that have been going on for the past 16 years or so.
Interactions, linkages and alliances in different parts of Adivasi/ indigenous peoples'
regions of India over issues and struggles, political demands and political ideologies
of diverse nature contributed to its emergence.
Organising the 3rd International Conference of the International Alliance of
Indigenous/Tribal Peoples of the Tropical Forests at Nagpur in 1997 created yet
another historic opportunity drawing representatives to the national organising
committee of the conference from various regions. After the conference, the
expanded group decided to constitute AICFAIP as a loose Forum to fulfill the’long
felt need of a platform of indigenous peoples' movements to strengthen the dynamics
of the coming together locally, regionally and nationally in a creative manner.
AICFAIP provides a means of communication, interventions, support actions in
struggles and common actions. It has also constituted working groups on women,
threatened peoples, biodiversity and indigenous peoples rights, and generation of
reports and publications on issues and struggles.
The Forum is now made up of more than 70Adivasi/ indigenous peoples'
organisations and demarcated into five regions, viz.: North-East, North Central, South
Central, Western and Southern regions, based on the concentration and distribution of
Adivasi/indigenous communities and their history. Any struggle based
Adivasi/indigenous peoples' mass organisation and any struggle based mass
organisations taking up indigenous peoples' issues can be part of the Forum.
The Secretariat
All India Coordinating Forum of the Adivasis/Indigenous Peoples
C/o B-14 (2nd Fir)
Gulmohar Park
New Delhi- 110049
Phones ++91-11-6561743
++91-11-6514847
Fax++91-11-6511504
Email admin@del3.vsnl.net.in
Indegenous people in the Commonwealth
Subject: Indegenous people in the Commonwealth
Date; Tue, 20 TUig 2002 10:59:38 +0530
From: "Kalpavriksh” <kvriksh@vsnl.com>
To: "Tiplut Nongbri" <tnongbri@satyam.net.in >5 ’’Thelma Narayan (Dr.)” <sochara@blr.vsnl.net.in>
“Pradip Prabhir <pradip_prabhu@yahoo.com>, <nandinisundar@yahoo.com>,
<sj studes@bol.net. in>
I’^PartlA
< of 1
Type: Plain Text (lexl/plain)
Encoding: quoted-printable
8/20/02 2:38 PM
Apologies for Cross posting:
Dear Friends,
The London based Commonwealth Policy Studies Unit (CPSU) has just prepared a
memorandum for the Commonwealth Heads of Government in the context of the WSSD
which starts later this month.
Some details and the executive summary of the memorandum are pasted below. If anyone
wants to have a look al the lull memorandum, please do let me know.
As part of the process initiated by the Commonwealth an Expert Regional Meeting on
Indigenous Rights in South and South East A.sia, was held in New Delhi on March 11th13th, 2002, where many issues regarding indegenous and adivasi people in this region
were also discussed
THE MINER’S CANARY
Indigenous Peoples and Sustainable Development in the Commonwealth
i
A Commonwealth Policy Studies Unit Memorandum to Commonwealth Heads of
Government attending the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD), August
26 - September 4, Johannesburg, South Africa, 2002 by Professor Paul Havemaiui,
University of Waikato. New Zealand and Dr Helena Whall, Indigenous Rights in the
Commonwealth Project, CPSU.
Indigenous Rights in the Commonwealth Project
Commonwealth Policy Studies Unit
Institute of Commonwealth Studies
University of London
28 Russell Square
London WC1B 5DS
Tel: 0207 862 8846
Fax: 0207 862 8820
Email: hwhall@sas.ac.uk
v.w.v. cpsu. org. uk
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Indigenous Peoples are like the miner’s canary, when their cultures and languages
disappear tins reflects the profound sickness in the ecology. Biological and cultural
diversity are basic indicators of ecological health and they are also the means whereby
sustainable ecological health is sustained. Indigenous Peoples account for most of the
world’s cultural diversity and are also stewards of most of its biological diversity.
That Indigenous Peoples play a vital role in the conservation of biological diversity -the
key to sustainable development - was explicitly recognised for the first time in Rio at the
United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED), 1992. Rio
produced a number of agreements recognising the key role of Indigenous Peoples in
sustainable development.
However, over the past decade, few of these agreements have been adequately honoured.
The World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD), to be held in Johannesburg,
South Africa, August 26 - September 4 2002, provides an opportunity for states to
transform the rhetoric of the UNCED into reality.
While the Commonwealth of 54 nations has explicitly recognised that a viable
sustainable development policy has to give equal priority to the environment and the
market, it has still not acknowledged the critical role that Indigenous Peoples can play in
sustainable development.
i
It is critical that the Commonwealth recognise the vital nexus between Indigenous rights
and sustainable development. The Commonwealth is home to approximately 150 million
persons who describe themselves as Indigenous Peoples - the traditional stewards of the
cultural and biological diversity of the Commonwealth. However, the Commonwealth
has yet to acknowledge the significant contribution of Indigenous Peoples to this di
ersity Moreover, it is luming a blind eye to the systematic homogenization processes that
are underway in many of its member states. In many Commonwealth states,
unsustainable development projects are routinely being undertaken that threaten and
sometimes destroy indigenous communities and their livelihoods, thus destroying the
unique cultural and biological diversity of the Commonwealth. If the Commonwealth is
serious about its commitment to promoting and protecting cultural and biological
diversity, it must recognise the special role Indigenous Peoples can play in preserving this
diversity. In this Memorandum, it is argued that the Commonwealth must place
indigenous rights at the heart of its sustainable development agenda.
This Memorandum provides a brief background to the World Summit on Sustainable
Development (WSSD), 1992; it outlines the reasons why Indigenous Peoples must be
allowed to play a major role in sustainable development; it examines the
Commonwealth’s commitments to sustainable development and its failure to recognise
the centrality of Indigenous rights to sustainable development; it then looks ahead to what
might be achieved at the WSSD, 2002, and how the Commonwealth can take forwrd
progress made at the WSSD at the forthcoming CHOGM, 2003. The Memorandum
concludes by outlining the specific recommendations of the CPSU for the
Commonwealth.
CON 1EN I S OF THE REPORT
Executive Summary
iii
Ackno wled gemeiil s
iv
Kari-oca Declaration, Brazil, May 30, 1992
vii
1. About the Indigenous Rights in the Commonwealth Project 1
t
2. Background to WSSD, 2002
3
’The right of people Io live in an in an environment of a quality that permits a life of
dignity and well-being’ - The UN Conference on the Human Environment, Stockholm,
1972 ’
'Our Common Future' (World Commission on Environment and Development, 1983)
>
Traditional Environmental Knowledge and Land Rights 4
The Rio Earth Summit (United Nations Conference on Environment 4
and Development, 1992)
4
Kari-oca - the Indigenous Peoples Earth Charter, 1992 5
Rio Declaration on Environment and Development
Agenda 21
6
6
Convention on Biological Diversity
The Forest Principles
7
g
i
Convention to Cornbat Desertification, 1996
9
Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), 1994 9
3. Indigenous Peoples and Sustainable Development
10
Indigenous Peoples - the Stewards of the Earth's Biodiversity 10
Ethnocide and Ecocide
11
For Cultural and Biological Diversity
11
Ecological Vulnerability and Unsustainable Development 12
4
Human Vulnerability and Unsustainable Development 14
Precautionary and Participatory* Development
15
Human Rights and Responsibilities for Ecological Stewardship 16
Self-determination for Ecological Stewardship
17
4. The Commonwealth and Cultural and Biological Diversity 18
Commonwealth Commitments to Sustainable Development 19
Commonwealth Preparations for WSSD
21
A case for Commonwealth interest in Indigenous Peoples 22
Commonwealth Commitments to Indigenous Rights
23
The Commonwealth as an Inter-Governmental Organisation 24
Indigenous Rights as Human Rights in the Commonwealth 25
Commonwealth Civil Society
26
Towards Commonwealth Best Practice
28
5. t he WSSD, 2002 - a few steps back?
33
Indigenous Peoples’ Caucus Statement for the Multi-Stakeholder
Dialogue on Governance, Partnerships and Capacity-Building,
Bali, 27 May, 2002
34
indigenous Peoples’ Political Declaration, Prep. Com. IV,
Bali. Indonesia, 6 June 2002
36
The Draft Plan of Implementation of the WSSD,
June 26, 2002
37
Proposed Elements for the Political Declaration of WSSD,
Bali. Indonesia, May 2002
44
6. Looking forward - Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting
(CHOGM), Abuja, Nigeria, 2003
47
7. Participator Ecological Stewardship for Good Environmental
Governance
47
8. Recommendations
48
ixuipa v i iivoii.
Apt. 5, Shri Dutta Krupa,
QCiR F)ec^an ^vmkhana
Pune 411004, India
Tel: 91 20 5654239
Fax: 91 20 5654239
Email: kvriksh®vsnl.com
Kalpavriksh,
Apt. 5, Shri Dutta Krupa,
908 Deccan Gymkhana,
Pune 411004, India
Tel: 91 20 5654239
Fax. 91 20 5654239
Email: kvriksh@vsnl. com
---- Original Message----From: The Other Media
To: Pankaj Sekhsaria ; Kalpana Sharma ; Tiplut Nongbri ; Thelma Narayan (Dr.) ;
Pradip
Prabhu
;
nandinisundar@yahoo.com
;
sjstudes@bol.net.in
;
kvriksh@pn3.vsnl.net. in; kvriksh@vsnl.com
Sent: Saturday, August 10, 2002 9:12 PM
Subject: Andaman Fact Finding Mission: Dates and plan
12 August 2002
The Members
Fact Finding Mission on the Threatened Peoples of Peoples and Nicobar Islands
X-*
K/TernhArc nf
1TAV111M V1U
VI
HIV
PFK/f
X X XTXa
Greetings.
Thank you for volunteering to be a member in the Fact Finding Mission on Andaman.
Further to the communications on the above subject, please note the following:
1. The dates for the FFM is fixed for October 11-20, 2002. The plan is as follows:
Oct. 11
: Arrival at Calcutta
Oct. 11-12 : Briefing, review and finalisation of the Terms of Reference and plan
of
field work
OCLiJ/14
: Departure to Andamans
Oct. 14-19 : Field Work
Oct. 19-20 : Return to Calcutta
Consolidation and finalisation of Report
Plan for follow up actions
Oct.20/21 : Departure from Calcutta
z-s
*
4
2. The following materials are attached:
a) Terms of Reference of FFM
b) Background note
b) Background Report (for your information only and not for circulation)
3. URGENT
a) Kindly inform the Secretariat your suggestions and any additional information
you may have
b) Kindly send the addresses with phone/email of any contacts you may have in
Andamans so that the Secretariat can immediately contact them to mobilise
logistic support at Andamans.
4. The names and addresses of the FFM Members are given below for quicker
communication amongst members:
1. Pradip Prabhu, Convenor
Kashtakari Sanghatna
3, YezdehBehram
Kantiwadi
Malyan
Dahanu Road
Thane District-2
Maharashtra
Tel: 02528-22821/22760
Email: pradip _prabhu@yahoo. com
2. Ms. Kalpana Sharma
Special Correspondent - Hindu
4
Kasturi Building
J.N Tata Road
Mumbai
Maharashtra 400 020
—4
i
*
Tel: 022-2025415/8118078(R)
Email: ksharma®vsnl. com
3. Dr. lhelma Narayan
Community Health Ceil
367, Srinivasa Niiaya
Jakkasandra 1st Main
Koramangala
Bangalore
Karnataka 560 034
Tel:080-5531518/5525372
Email: sochara@blr.vsnl.net.in
4. Dr.Tiplut Nongbri
Centre for Social System
1322 Poorvanchal Hostel
J.N.U
New Delhi 110 067
Tel :011-6165640
Email: tnongbri@satyam.net.in
tiplutnongbriS 1 @hotmail. com
5. Mr. Joseph Marianus Kujur
Research Scholar
St. Xavier’s School
4 Rajniwas Marg
Delhi 110064
Tel:01E3927925
Email: sjstudes@boi.net.in
6. Dr.Nandini Sundar
153 Nilgiri Appartments
Alaknanda
New Delhi 110 019
Tel: 011-6440616
Email: nandinisundar@yahoo. com
7. Nir. Pankaj Sekhsaria
Kalpavriksh
Apt. 5, Since Dutla Krupa
908. Deccan Gymkhana
Pune
Maharashtra 411004
TeVFax: 020 5654239
Email: kvriksh@pn3.vsnl.net.in
kvriksh@vsnl. com
A hard copy of the same is also being sent by post. Please acknowledge.
I
Re: Andaman Fact Finding Mission
J
Subject: Re: Andaman Fact Finding Mission
Date: Sat, 31 Aug 2002 19:23:20 +0530
From: "The Other Media" <admin@del3.vsnl.net.in>
To: "Ramdayal Munda" <rdmunda@yahoo.co.uk>, <kvriksh@vsnl.com>,
<kvriksh@pn3.vsnl.ne(.in>, <sjsliides@bol.net.in>, <nandinisundar@yahoo.com>,
"Pradip Prabhu" <pradip_prabhu@yahoo.com>.
"Thelma Narayan (Dr.)" <sochara@blr.vsnl.nct.in>, "Tiplut Nongbri" <tnongbri@satyam.nct.in>,
"Kalpana Sharma” <ksharma@vsnl.com> "Pankaj Sekhsaria" <pankajs@pn3.vsnl.net.in>
CC: <rights@onebox.com>, <rights@rediffmail.com>
Dear Team members.
See the discussion initiated by Marianus and Pankaj below. They are very interesting and I would request all to share
your views as well.
Marianus came to the Secretariat today and has kindly agreed to up-date the background report basing on the new
developments. It will be good if members also share their views and give suggestions so that he can improve upon it.
4.
In solidarity.
Gam
Dear Marianos,
The points that you have raised are very very critical and this Fact Finding Mission needs to keep al! of these in mind
before we go into the issue.
As far as the structuring and time frame for the fact finding mission goes, it is upto the organisers and the Team
Leader to take the decisions.
Regarding some of the substantive points that Marianus has raised, here are some responses and reactions from my
The issue of mainstreaming the tribals or allowing them the oppurtunity to decide versus the 'leave them alone like
museum pieces' is an old and alive discussion and debate. It is a very easy (though important) question to raise The
difficulties come when you are forced to move beyond raising the questions and start to take a position of some sort It
is, I realise, important to raise the questions, but that is not enough by itself. I know its a difficult question to answer
and difficult issue to resolve. I have for example faced it constantly in the last five years, and this question comes up
wery single time there is a presentation ora discussion.
Let me put forward another question in response to this very valid question. Do we want live museum pieces or do we
want dead museum pieces? I think the question of museum pieces Vs their right to integrate etc. etc. will come only
after this other question has an answer, i know, this does sound a little crude and even patronising, but I say this
because the question here in not merely one of their human rights, it is a far more basic one of their survival. A look at
the history of the islands and of the indegenous peoples is very revealing here. These people are being simply wiped
out in the process of trying to integrate them. The Great Andamanese are gone, the Onge are headed in that direction
and I do believe that the Jarawa have also been initiated in that direction. Where is the question today of what the
Great Andamanese want or what their human rights should be, if their very basic survival as living human beings, and
viable communities is in serious question. If this is where they, and importantly, we stand, I have no problem in saying
that for the moment, we should leave them as they are and look at ourselves and what we are doing with them their
forests and their lands.
As far as updating the material in considered, particularly in the context of the orders of the courts I have sent a set of writings to Gam, which has articles on the latest issues with respect to the orders Those might
have the updates that are needed. I could also send you the court orders and the reports that were submitted to the
Supreme Court by Shekhar Singh after he was appointed as Commissioner.
pankaj
Kaipavriksh,
Apt. 5, Shri Dutta Krupa,
908 Deccan Gymkhana,
. of 2
■
9/3/02 10.41 AM
<e: Andaman Fact Finding Mission
Pune 411004, India
Tel: 91 20 5654239
Fax: 91 20 5654239
Email: kvriksh&ysnl. com
Dear Pankaj,
Interesting points! The idea of a kind of a brief "pilot project" is good but cannot go on postponing the project endlessly
in my opinion. I am, however, open to any new suggestions, new developments, even to a change in the original
schedule.
My point "No. 5" has been misunderstood. It will be the last thing to suggest to "befriend" and "meet" the 4 tribes, that
too in 10 davs' time, and that too by 8 of the teammates! On the contrary, the intention in raising the issue is precisely
to dissuade'the team if at al! "befnending" them is in the agenda. As of now it was not very dear as to how we would
operationalize our objectives.
At the same time the issue of "leaving them in isolation" like museum pieces can be contested. What human rights are
we talking about if these tribes are not allowed to share the resources with the rest of the country? What right do we
have to prevent them from participating in the decision making process for their own dignity and self-esteem? Who
are we to decide for them? Why can't we prepare them to decide for themselves? Are we of the view that they can be
"fully human and fully alive" only in the reserves and jungles they are confined to? is that what we mean by their
"human rights"? Or we have to think of a stragegy for them that will give them their due not as "objects" but very much
as "subjects".
Plurality of ideas will throw better light on these issues, or else we may fall in the same trap as the British or the
so-called neo-colonisers. This interaction will surely help us come to some sort of a consensus our obkectives and
methodology. We do not know in what way our objectives can be achieved. That is quite a different question. The
question of change and continuity, their negotiations with the latest developmentetc., coping with modernization,
etc., are some of the points one cannot really ignore.
I am not arguing for one stand or the other, just throwing a few disturbing questions within the larger framework of the
present-day dioscourse on insider-outsider, local-global, traditional-modern, etc... When we discuss our strategy
these things will probably emerge more sharply
Pankaj, could you enlighten me as to how the old paper can be updated. You have, of course, sent quite a bit of
updated material yourself But in the light of the SC & HC judgements, and in the light of our aims and objectives, can
you give me some guidelines for the upgrading of the work. Meanwhile I am in touch with the Andaman House for
some relevant materials. I am not sure if they will give me anything new. Regards,
Marianus
2 of 2
9/3/Q2 10.41 AM
RF_IH_20_SUDHA.pdf