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Port Blair, March 10: Weeks after the last member of the Bo tribe died on the Andaman Islands, an Indian court has moved to protect the neighbouring Jarawa tribe by suspending the operation of a controversial tourist resort.
India’s Supreme Court ordered on Monday that the company, Barefoot India, must close its resort near the Jarawa’s reserve, pending further deliberation by the court.
Despite concerns for the future of the tribe, Barefoot had challenged the legality of a ‘buffer zone’ around the reserve. The buffer zone was designed to protect the Jarawa by preventing tourism and other commercial activity near their land. The resort lies within the disputed zone.
But concerns remain over a highway running illegally through the tribal reserve, and the poachers, tourists and other outsiders it brings into daily contact with the Jarawa. The Indian government has ignored a 2002 Supreme Court ruling that the road must be closed.
Most of the Bo tribe, whose last member Boa Sr died in January, died of diseases brought by British colonists in the nineteenth century. The Jarawa, who resisted contact with outsiders until 1998, are expected to have little immunity to many outside infections and could be wiped out by an epidemic.
Many of Barefoot’s visitors will have recently stepped off long-haul flights. Research indicates that about 20% of airline passengers develop colds or other viral infections within a few days of their flight.
Survival International’s director Stephen Corry said today, ‘Nobody wants to see the Jarawa go the same way as Boa Sr’s people. This week’s court decision to suspend the Barefoot resort is a positive sign. But if the Indian government is serious about protecting the Jarawa it must close the road and keep intruders off their land. The Times of India Writes: No tourist will be allowed to interact with Jarawas: Centre
The Jarawa tribe numbering just over 300 in Andaman & Nicobar Islands and facing extinction would soon be isolated from the commercial world and no tourist would be allowed to intract with them, the Centre told the Supreme Court on Monday.
Terming the Jarawas to be highly vulnerable to diseases and virus carried by urban population, Attorney General G E Vahanvati told the apex court that no tourist resort would be allowed to function within a five-kilometer buffer zone created around their habitations in the western coasts of South and Middle Andaman Islands.
One such tourist resort, which has been ordered to be closed, protested before a Bench comprising Chief Justice K G Balakrishnan and Justice B S Chauhan and its counsel K K Venugopal said the decision was arbitrary as its business was in no way affecting the habitation of Jarawas nor interfering with their lives.
Countering this, Vahanvati asked why would foreigners and tourists need to come and interact or even watch the Jarawas. Appearing for the Lt-Governor of the Union Territory, the AG said the power to create a buffer zone needed to be exercised by the authorities to make the measures meaningful and effective in protecting the endangered tribal population.
But, the Bench understood the pressing needs of the time and stayed judgment of the Calcutta High Court circuit Bench at Port Blair allowing the resort — Bare Foot Inns and Leisure Pvt Ltd — to continue commercial activity despite being situated in the buffer zone notified in recent years.
Venugopal assured the court that there was not a single Jarawa within the five-km buffer zone and that the resort only had 10 tents. But, the Bench said there was no question of any commercial activity within the notified area.
To ensure a rich resource of forest-based traditional food like wild pig, turtle, honey and fish, the Jarawa reserve area has been increased from 847 to 1,028 sq kms and the exclusive marine resource base has also been increased by declaring coastal water upto 5 km from the High Tide Line as a tribal reserve under the central policy. |
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