In 1956, the Andaman and Nicobar Protection of Aboriginal Tribes Regulation (ANPATR) was passed which created the Jarawa Reserve area. In 1957, through a notification from the office of the Chief Commissioner of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, every person other than a member of the aboriginal tribe was prohibited from entering the reserve area, except on the authority of a pass duly signed by the Deputy Commissioner.
In the 1970s and 80s, they built the Andaman Trunk Road (NH 223) (ATR), connecting South Andaman to North, right through the territory of the Jarawas, enabling tourists, locals and tradesmen to enter and interact – whether actively or passively – with the Jarawas.
This would become one of the first times the government violated a legal framework they set up, seemingly indecisive on whether to isolate, or to expose the unique human heritage of the Jarawas – who may even be the direct descendants of the first humans who migrated from Africa to Asia, according to some anthropologists.
While the complexity of the issue begs a thorough discussion with all stakeholders involved, a quick look at the government’s vacillating history in this context makes one wonder if the fate of the vulnerable Jarawas is to rest on this unending tussle between – and amongst – the Central government, the administration of the Union Territory and the locals.
The Burden of Govt Indecision
So much so, that the proposal submitted by the Ministry of Shipping, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, for the development of an alternate sea route to ATR, as directed by the Honorable Supreme Court states:
...However, rush of tourists, local residents and transport of goods through ATR creates discomfort to the Jarawas, the aboriginal tribes dominantly inhabiting the area before Baratang. The Jarawas are one of the primitive tribes of Andaman Island having Negroid origin with a total population of about 300. Because of vehicular traffic through ATR at the stretch, sustenance of Jarawa life is considered to be facing the threat of extinction.Final Environment Impact Assessment Report of Proposed Alternate Sea Route, Ministry of Shipping, Andaman Lakshwadeep Harbour Works, Port Blair
Financial and Environmental Costs of the Andaman Trunk Road
Knowing full and well the consequences of continued traffic on the ATR – no matter how regulated and restricted – the government has failed to make any substantial progress on the said sea route. As highlighted in a study published in 2002, undertaken by Samir Acharya, founder of Society for Andaman and Nicobar Ecology (SANE), all archipelagos and their indigenous people use sea transport for inter-island transport; it is the settlement of sea-fearing immigrants in Andaman that has resulted in this political impetus to build, maintain and defend the ATR – even at a huge financial and environmental cost.
Let’s be practical. Tourists want to see the Jarawas. They are very curious. The government has no plans to close the road. There are no interactions anymore between the tourists and the Jarawas. They all travel in non-stop convoys, lead and followed by police vans. The Jarawas have also slowly changed themselves. But, the alternate sea route remains the most important point here. Nothing is happening on that front. The road can be kept open; with the sea route to Baratang, the traffic on the road will decrease which will be a big advantage to the Jarawas. But they know that once the sea route is open, there will be pressure to close the road.Zubair Ahmed, Port Blair-based researcher and journalist on the importance of the alternate route
The Dangers of Jarawa Tourism
This is not to say that the government has not made any progress in protecting the fabric of the Jarawa society. All tour operators and tourists recently surveyed admit to stringent rules and restrictions while crossing the Jarawa Reserve on the ATR. Traveling in police-supervised convoys in necessary; stopping, waving, photographing, overtaking or offering food to the Jarawa people is NOT allowed. Reports of poaching and exploitation by tourists have gone down, as well.
But the fact remains, any exposure, of any sort of the Jarawa people will lead to a trickle effect of habits, diseases and culture, which may and does harm the tribal population. An outbreak of measles and malaria has already been reported; without natural immunity to our diseases, a single epidemic could wipe out the 400-something strong population of the Jarawa instantaneously. Something as commonplace a traffic exhaust for us, may seed fatal respiratory issues in them.
The tourists may not be actively participating in ‘human safaris’ anymore, but the highlight of the drive from Port Blair to the check post after the reserve remains a ‘lucky’ sighting of a Jarawa in their natural habitat – akin to searching for a tiger, or a wild elephant on a safari, which is a direct contradiction to the Preamble of the Indian Constitution.
Time Ticking for the Jarawa Tribe
As recently as Monday, Union Minister for Tribal Affairs, answering a question in Lok Sabha, said, “Andaman and Nicobar (A&N) Administration has reported 14 cases of ill-treatment of Jarawas and other native tribes in islands during last three years and current year under the SCs and STs (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989, and Protection of Aboriginal Tribes Regulation, 1956, in A&N Islands.”
Keeping this is mind, it it perhaps better that the 1st National Tribal Carnival which was to be inaugurated by PM Narendra Modi on Friday stands postponed to winter. Sure, displaying and fostering indigenous cultures is one way to go about it, but not when hollow promises, crossed deadlines, loom over the future of the Jarawa tribe. There’s something ominous about the fact that the once-neighbouring Great Andamanese tribe no longer exists due to forced exposure, falling prey to disease, alcohol and opium. An alternate sea route solves the economic, social and environmental issues that plague the Jarawas and the government, a theory the latter proposed themselves, as early as 2007.
Do we have to wait till the next time a death of, or exploitation against a Jarawa is reported in international media before the government gives us some answers?
Reader’s Comment:
The five Particularly Vulnerable Tribals Groups (PVTGs) of Andaman and Nicobar Islands are Great Andamanese, Onges, Jarawas, Sentinelese, ShomPens. They are our country precious human heritage who should be developed along the lines of their own genius and their rights to land and forest must be respected by following the spirit of Nehru’s Tribal Panchsheel policy.The tribal policy of “eyes on” instead of “hand-off” needs to aim at progressive acculturation resulting in a creative adjustment between tribes and non-tribes, leading to a responsible partnership for sustainable and inclusive development of our country.
Please publish this letter to editor in your online paper so that people from other parts of India can also be sensitized to the needs of indigenous tribes of Andaman Islands.
Regards,
Dhan Singh
(BTech, MBA(Gold Medalist ,XIMB) (Ex. Major,Indian Army). Presently Research Scholar at IIT Kanpur)
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