THE LIGHT OF ANDAMANS | VOL 36 | ISSUE 04 | 15 NOV 2012
COVER STORY:
FLASHBACK INTO HISTORY
In the year
1972-73, the process of settling about 300 families of Car Nicobarese in Little
Andaman was initiated by Andaman and Nicobar Admn. The Admn set on the mission
after it felt that the population of Car
Nicobar Island Island
that already had another tribe - Onges. The proposal hit many roadblocks then.
After 40 years today, due to lack of proper policy framework, the Settlement
faces new challenges. A flashback into the history of the Settlement.
By Zubair Ahmed
The Census of 1961 showed
the population of Car Nicobar as 10000 living in an area of 49 sq miles. There
grew a thinking that the Island of Car Nicobar could no longer provide plantation land
needed for the growing Nicobarese population and some "Lebensraum"
was needed for these people in other Islands .
With this in view, a scheme for resettlement of Car Nicobarese in other Islands was included in both the second and third Five
Year Plans of the territory. The scheme, however, could not be implemented
because, firstly, the Car Nicobarese showed reluctance to move out of Car
Nicobar, and subsequently, insisted on exclusive resettlement in Katchal. The
permanent residents of Katchal
Island Delhi , no Island should
be populated exclusively by one community or tribe. Thus, the scheme of
resettlement of Nicobarese in other Islands ,
although included in the second and third Plans remained paper schemes only.
There was stalemate and nobody give thought to the details of the Plan.
Then in January 1970, there
was a thaw. Bishop Richardson indicated to Shri B K Halve, CDRC that the Car
Nicobarese would also welcome resettlement in Little Andaman. This wish of
Bishop Richardson was welcomed by all. As Little Andaman has already been
earmarked for development for resettlement of migrants from East Pakistan and
repatriates from Sri Lanka etc., concurrence of Dept of Rehabilitation was
sought for about the resettlement of Car Nicobarese in that Island. Shri
Butalia, Chief Commissioner wrote to Secretary, Ministry of Rehabilitation on
this matter in March 1970. Meanwhile the scheme of settlement of Nicobarese in
other Islands was again included in the fourth
Plan of the territory.
Then began a chain of
correspondence between Chief Development cum Rehabilitation Commissioner (CDRC)
and Chief Commissioner on the one hand and Ministries of Rehabilitation and
Home on the other. It would appear, although the scheme of settlement of Car
Nicobarese in other Islands had been included in both second and third Plans,
no serious thought was given to it in Delhi Islands .
To this the Administration replied that the very inclusion of a scheme in the
Plan of the territory for settlement of Nicobarese on other Islands showed that
the idea had been accepted by all and this had raised hopes among the Nicobarese
and to the extent it was surely a promise which required to be honoured.
An interesting point in
this connection is Shri Butalia Chief Commissioner believed that an assurance
of resettlement in Little Andaman or Katchal was given to the Nicobarese by
Shri D R Chavan, Deputy Minister, Rehabilitation during his visit to the
The Ministry of
Rehabilitation raised many questions, two of which are important. Whether
Rehabilitation Department's programme of resettlement of migrants and
repatriates will be affected and whether there would not be any clash between
Nicobarese and Onges.
In reply to the first, it
was stated that 'bulk' of the paddy land suitable for resettlement of the
refugee families would lie to the North of the imaginary line joining Hut Bay to Jackson Creek Island and on the West
Coast while the proposed settlement of Car Nicobarese families is on the
Southern Side. Both Nicobarese and onges are friendly tribes an there is no
reason whatsoever to fear any clash between them.
While all these
correspondence were in 1971-72, the idea of settlement of Car Nicobarese
families in Little Andaman gained tempo. Because, Chief Commissioner and the
CDRC evinced keen interest to it and pressed Govt of India for acceptance. It
was also decided to earmark 500 acre plantation land in Little Andaman. The
land was located south stream Toilwe. Bishop Richardson was informed and he
suggested that some representatives of Nicobarese should first see the land and
verify whether it was suitable for them.
By now, Delhi
It was decided that the area shown to the
Nicobarese representatives may be kept reserved for their settlement and the
entire area may be demarcated. The Nicobarese had expressed that they would
clear the area by themselves. They also expressed they would fell all the trees
including commercial timber and the Govt. either by agency or by contractors,
could take out the commercial timber from the reclaimed site. They did not want
any Govt. offer in the shape of grant or loan for the reclamation of the
forests areas. The Nicobarese expressed strongly that each family should be
allotted 10 acres of plantation. In addition each family should be allotted
one-third acre of homestead. It was decided that each family would get 5 acres
for plantation, 3 acres for fruit plants and 2 acres for paddy cultivation. It
was also decided that 300 families would be settled in three years.
The decisions were conveyed
to Chief Commissioner, who was attending the Central Coordination Meeting at Delhi
On 19 May 1972, the Chief
Commissioner discussed the matter with CDRC and other heads of the Dept. The
Chief Commissioner was of the view that the Dept of Rehabilitation (DOR) should
bear the expenses for the implementation of the scheme. The CDC prepared a
scheme for Settlement at an estimated cost of Rs 10245400/-.
The scheme was forwarded to
DOR on 19 June 1972, who instructed CDC on 26 June 1972 that the Ministry of
Rehabilitation had nothing to do with the scheme and it would be for A&N
Admn to implement it and no expenditure should be incurred without specific
sanction of DOR. With such categorical instructions from DOR, the expectation
of the Dept of Rehabilitation in implementing the scheme came to an end.
At this critical juncture
the position was that while the Car Nicobarese have been aroused by high hopes
of immediate resettlement of 50 families, the Dept of Rehabilitation refused to
have nothing to do with it. There was only a token provision of Rs 10000/- in
the Admns' Annual Plan for 1972-73 for permanent settlement of Nicobarese
families under the Sector "Welfare of Backward Classes."
The matter was again
discussed in the Central Coordination Committee meeting at Delhi
On 11 July 1972, CC called
a meeting of all HODs at Port Blair. By that time, he was heavily committed to
do something positive for implementing the scheme. He explored possibility of
getting funds from various sectors of Administration.
The next few months saw a
crucial period of review, discussions and correspondence about finding the
resources. Meanwhile on 7 March 1973, the Ministry of Agriculture issued the
approval for de-reservation of 500 acres of forest land at Little Andaman to be
handed over to the Dept of Rehabilitation. But, as Dept of Rehab had already
backed out. And while sanctioning the de-reservation, the Forest Dept had
stipulated two conditions that royalty for commercial timbers should be paid
for and soil conservation measures should be involved in the cleared area.
On 29 March 1973, after
receiving the sanction for de-reservation, 50 Nicobarese families comprising of
150 members were brought to Little Andaman. Two thatched sheds had already been
constructed for them. On 6 April 1973, the position was reviewed by the Chief
Commissioner. He still desired that the Ministry of Rehabilitation should be
involved in this scheme and also wanted opening of dispensary, primary school
and other facilities in the Settlement area.
On 28 July 1973, Chief
Commissioner Har Mander Singh alongwith Shailaja Chandra, Finance Secretary,
Ramesh Chandra, Deputy Commissioner and other officials visited Little Andaman.
He travelled with the group on foot for 5 kms to reach the Settlement. He
observed that Nicobarese had improved the two transit barracks built for them.
They had also constructed a guest house in tribal style and had cleared about
25 acres of jungle land. When he visited, they were busy in the process of
making a racing canoe.
The Nicobarese demanded
that a road to the Settlement need to be improved. They wanted the supply of
equipments and home building hardware available at Hut Bay
The Principal Engineer,
Marine submitted an estimate of Rs 12.95 lakhs for construction of 4 kms road
from the Jetty to the Nicobarese Settlement. It was difficult to find funds, so
nothing could be done in 1973-74 and the prospects of having funds for the road
was also bleak in 1974-75. Therefore, it was decided that instead of having a
metalled road, the bad patches on the existing footpath will be repaired and
the culverts constructed. For this purpose, PE (Marine) wanted Rs 4.95 lakhs
which was also difficult to come. APWD could only spare Re. One lakh out of its
funds in 1974-75. PE (Marine) was asked to go ahead with the work restricting
the expenditure to Re. One lakh during 1974-75.
Although the Nicobarese
were brought to Little Andaman with huge fanfare, they had been left in the
lurch with so many administrative intricacies and financial sanctions. For more
than 5 years, there was no road, dispensary or schools. Moreover, their lands
were not regularized.
On 14 May 1976, when SM
Krishnatry, Chief Commissioner met the Captains in Car Nicobar, they sought his
intervention in many problems faced by the Nicobarese in Little Andaman. They
complained that the land of the families was not regularized. However, they
made some commitments which are very interesting. They acceded that they would
abide by the Govt. instructions and orders as may be issued to them regarding
their territorial limits to which they could go and that they will have to
confine themselves to the area allotted to them and should not trespass into
the remaining Onge Reserve, not even for contacting Onges or for hunting and
they will have to carry out the provisions of the Protection of the Tribal
Regulations. They agreed that they will comply with such order.
On 26 Oct 1976, in the Home
Minister Advisory Committee meeting, the Home Minister made it clear that
further felling of forests without thorough examination of environmental and
ecological aspects and formulation of a well considered policy was out of
question.
The proximity of the Onge
tribal too came into question, when the Nicobarese demanded additional land and
the Chief Commissioner did not press the Home Ministry as his predecessors had
been doing.
"For a while there
were considerable tension and a great deal of bad blood. The development of
facilities and roads promised to them did not materialize for a long time. And,
moreover, the land remained unrecognized and as unauthorized possession,"
wrote Kiran Dhingra in A & N
Island
The looming issues still
remain to be sorted out. The Nicobarese in Little Andaman continue to be
second-class tribals without proper land and forest rights.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDelete