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Can the Policy Makers Still Claim That the Endangered Jarawa Is Protected Under Them? Port Blair, Oct. 19: Recently the Member of Parliament Shri Bishnu Pada Ray had interviewed a group of Jarawa at Tirur, who broke into a house at Harpatabad. When asked whether they broke the house open, the Jarawa proudly accepted and at the same time threatened that if their demands are not met they would further harass the villagers settled near the reserve. They had even warned the Member of Parliament and the government authorities present at the spot that they will cut down the plantation of the villagers.
Although the police claimed to have recovered the stolen items except money, but the incident threw open several questions to the policy makers who claim to protect the endangered tribe from being exploited.
When one passes through the Jarawa Reserve, one notices ‘sign boards’ cautioning tourists and visitors who enter the reserve not to interact and click photographs the tribe. To stop promoting Jarawa as a tourist attraction, the Andaman Administration on several occasions had issued notification, where ‘same day return trips’ from the reserve was not allowed. But the question is; can the policy makers claim that the endangered Jarawa tribe is protected.
In what can be termed as heights of exploitation, Andaman Chronicle came across an ‘MMS Scam’ wherein young Jarawa girls were made to dance upon the order of a ‘govt. official?’ posted in the reserve to protect the tribes from being exploited.
The MMS is being circulated among the tourists who want to have a glance of the ‘naked’ Jarawa girls after a satisfying same day return trip of the Jarawa Safari.
It’s now high time for the policy makers to decide on something concrete. Whether to stop all intrusions inside the reserve, close down the ATR or whether to bring the dwindling Jarawa into the main stream as the so called guardians of the Jarawa themselves are failing to perform their duty.
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