In wake of the recent protests in Lakshadweep against the controversial “reforms” spearheaded by administrator Praful Khoda Patel, the security in the island has been stepped up.
The development comes in the wake of an intelligence report that foresees protests intensifying in the coming days.
The Lakshadweep Development Corporation has ordered heightened security for many establishments, ships and boat jetties on the island.
Lakshadweep residents have been protesting against a proposed cow slaughter ban, a preventive detention law and a draft law proposing sweeping changes in land development regulations introduced by the union territory recently.
The festering opposition to Patel's policies gathered more voice with the notification of the Draft Lakshadweep Development Authority Regulation, 2021 (LDAR 2021).
LDAR 2021, notified on the administration's website, proposes to change the existing land ownership and usage in Lakshadweep by giving sweeping, arbitrary, unchecked powers to the government (and all its bodies) to directly interfere with an islander’s right to possess and retain their property.
It empowers the government to pick any land for “development” activities provided under its regulation. Once picked, the land can be used as per the government sees fit, i.e., with no regards for the owner of the land. It will be land needed for a "public purpose".
The draft report raises concerns as it refers to “development” as activities including "building, engineering, mining, quarrying or other operations in, on, over or under, land, the cutting of a hill or any portion or the making of any material change in any building or land, or in the use of any building or land, and includes sub-division of any land."
It also adds that "a development plan shall not, either before or after it has been approved, be questioned in any manner, in any legal proceedings whatsoever".
The proposed developmental activities at such a scale also threaten the fragile ecosystem of the coral islands.
"This draft takes India back decades in meaningful lands rights activism for the marginalised through its disenfranchisement," Let India Breathe posted on its Twitter handle requesting to revoke the draft proposals.
The last date to submit comments and suggestions on LDAR 2021 is May 31.
COVID surge and relaxation of protocols
At the same time, LDAR is not the only concern that has invited widespread resistance from the residents of Lakshadweep. Patel has also been accused of diluting the standard operating procedure (SOP) which was in force on the island for preventing the spread of the pandemic.
The old SOP required passengers to be quarantined for seven days in guesthouses run by the UT administration in Kochi, and also in two hotels taken there for the purpose before they took an RT-PCR test. After arriving in Agatti also, they had to undergo another 14-day quarantine. However, soon after he assumed charge in December last year, Patel did away with the quarantine period both in “mainland” India as well as in Lakshadweep. According to the new guidelines, all that one needed to enter the UT was a negative RT-PCR report from an ICMR-approved laboratory.
The island territory, which was devoid of COVID cases until mid-January this year, has about 6,000 cases now with a test positivity rate of above 40 per cent.
Ban on contesting panchayat polls if you have more than 2 kids
Another controversy is around the proposed ban under the Draft Lakshadweep Panchayat Regulation, 2021 for individuals to contest panchayat polls if a resident has more than two kids. "No person shall be a member of a Gram Panchayat or continue as such who... has more than two children," the draft rule reads. "This bizarre formulation in the draft Lakshadweep Panchayat Regulation 2021 should give a hint about the heights of Praful Patel's mal-administration," SFI president V.P. Sanu posted on Twitter.
Beef ban, Goonda Act
The administrator has also been accused of trying to interfere in the traditional life of the people of Lakshadweep by the proposed "animal preservation" rules that seek to ban slaughter, transportation, selling or buying of beef products. The introduction of a Goonda Act in the island that has close to nil crime rate and revoking of restrictions on alcohol in the name of tourism also have attracted criticism from the islanders.
Elamaram Kareem, in his letter to the President, has pointed out that hundreds of casual and contract labourers working under different departments have lost their jobs under changing rules in the island. "Further, the sheds where fishermen used to keep their nets and other equipment were demolished by the new administration on the grounds that they violated the Coast Guard Act. The temporary buildings, which were earlier constructed under an exemption given only to fishermen by the administration, are now being demolished without any warning," he charged. "Administration has also decided that islanders should no longer depend on Beypore (Kerala) for freight transit. Instead, they should depend on Mangalore (Karnataka) for this purpose," he said.
Lakshadweep MP Mohammed Faizal alleged that the administrator was coming out with "anti-people" draft notifications at a time when the people were not in a position to even react to it because of the prevailing COVID-19 situation in the islands. He urged President Kovind, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah to appoint a permanent administrator. "We need a permanent administrator who should be people-friendly and any development activities should be within the ambit of the integrated island management plan that is being framed with the guidance of the Supreme Court," he said.
The protests in Lakshadweep spilled to the streets on Friday after Collector S Asker Ali, justifying Patel's proposed projects, added more fuel to the fire by remarking that youngsters here are addicted to drugs during a press conference.
Shedding political differences, major parties have rallied behind the people demanding the Centre to recall Patel. An all-party meeting likely to be held on Saturday here will decide the course of action for the days to come.
The Kerala Assembly will also adopt a joint resolution expressing solidarity with the people of Lakshadweep, where the recent actions of the islands' administrator have drawn flak.
Leaders of ruling CPM-led LDF and opposition Congress-led UDF in Kerala have hit out against what they termed as "anti-people" measures initiated by Praful Khoda Patel, the Lakshadweep administrator.
Kerala HC seeks Centre's response
The Kerala High Court on Friday sought the response of the Central government on a petition challenging the Lakshadweep administration's move to introduce Lakshadweep Development Authority Regulation 2021 (LDAR) and the Prevention of Anti-Social Activities Act (PASA) in the islands.
The petition was filed by Congress leader K P Noushad Ali. In his plea, Ali alleged illegal interference with the social, political and cultural realities in Lakshadweep by the Administrator.
