Change is always opposed. By those who are uncertain about the changes. But more often by those with vested interests. The reaction of the first set of people is spontaneous and can be dealt with much easily by proper dissemination of information. The problem is with the second set of people. For, they know what is right and yet they take a certain stand based on their petty interests.
One finds both sets of people in Lakshadweep, a group of 36 islands off the south-west coast of India, currently simmering with tension over new rules and proposals being introduced by new Administrator Praful K. Patel. On the face of it, the new rules seem perfectly fine as they are aimed at ensuring the safety and well-being of residents along with promoting the islands as a tourist destination at par with the Maldives. At a cursory look, equally convincing seem to be the arguments of those opposing the move, who fervently say that, with the new rules in place, the people of the archipelago may, in the short term, face safety and well-being issues, while in the long term, end up being the first internally displaced climate refugees in India.
The devil lies in the details, however. And when one looks at the details closely, one finds that the agitation, currently being waged in the name of ecology, seems politically and communally motivated. For instance, one of the primary reasons for protests is Patel’s decision to ban beef. An innate liberal in an individual would say why dictate food habits, even when the decision is in sync with the Constitution’s Directive Principles and cow protection laws are in place in most states, but how can anyone talking in terms of environment and ecology defend the move? Forget the moralistic stand against slaughtering around 80 billion animals every year for food, the fact that should bother every environment-conscious person is how our obsession with meat is literally drying up the planet. As former JNU professor Amita Singh recently wrote in an article in The Daily Guardian, “To produce one kg of wheat 1,500 litres of water are consumed, while it takes ten times more to produce the same amount of beef. For making 20-30 chapatis or a kilogramme of rice only 2,497 litres or less of water is used but for producing the same amount of beef 15,415 litres and for chicken meat 4,500 litres of water is used. One hamburger alone sucks 212 litres of water and by that standard an average American who consumes around 280 lbs of meat in a year may require 232,000 litres of water per year just to eat a hamburger.”
Now if you are an environmentalist or a climate change warrior, you would be in the forefront to end this business, especially of the beef kind! Provided your arguments are as skewed as those of Greta Thunberg, who makes a career out of global warming and climate change, but supports farm union leaders mostly hailing from two-and-a-half states against the government trying to reform the farm practices in the country, which among other things would have discouraged farmers from stubble burning and also dissuaded them from cultivating water-intensive crops in a dry state like Punjab. One suspects the protest in Lakshadweep is also orchestrated by those who believe that by following the beef ban, they might lose their very identity!
Another point of contention is the decision to allow those with two kids to be eligible to run for public offices in Lakshadweep. Ideally, the decision should be welcomed, given the fact that nothing is pushing the planet as much on the verge of extinction as population explosion. And Lakshadweep won’t be the first place in the country to introduce such a policy. What further makes the protest hollow is that the new rules won’t be applicable with retrospective effect. It is clarified by the UT Administration in this context that when this Panchayat Act is notified, its provisions will only apply to the parents of infants born after the due date of notification.
Not many outsiders, seeking the new Administrator’s head for “ecologically endangering” the already sensitive archipelago, know that electricity for Lakshadweep is produced from diesel generators. This is having a very adverse impact on the environment there. To save the natural environment and to promote green and clean energy, the government has started the process of privatisation for the production of electricity.
As for the issue of safety and well-being of the locals, not very long ago, 300 kg heroin worth Rs 3,000 crore, along with five AK-47 rifles and 1,000 live rounds, were confiscated in Lakshadweep. Many cases of illegal smuggling of marijuana and liquor and POCSO have also been reported there. Given this background, it’s understandable why the introduction of the draft Lakshadweep Prevention of Anti-Social Activities Prevention or the Goonda Act is being opposed so fervently. Who will gain out of it? For those trying to peddle the argument that the crime rate on the island has been negligible, the fact is that between 2017 and 2019, Lakshadweep, with the population of 66,000 people, is placed second after Manipur in the rate of crime against the state, the National Crime Records Bureau figures show. Now that’s an area of concern given its strategic location, especially with China and Pakistan already on the hunt.
Other arguments, like those of Malayalam filmmaker Aisha Sultana saying that Covid-19 was being used as a “bio-weapon” against the people of Lakshadweep, for which a case of sedition has been slapped against her, are not even worth considering, given that such an outrageous claim came at a time when the Centre was helping setup two oxygen plants at Agatti and Kavaratti.
However, it is a wrong question to ask: Why are we trying to change Lakshadweep? The question should be: Why did we take so long to bring these changes? In the early 1980s, the Maldives was one of the world’s 20 poorest countries. Within three decades, it not just pushed itself in the middle-income country, but also showed massive improvements in healthcare and education sectors, with a life expectancy of 74.8 and a literacy rate 98.4%.
Lakshadweep, in contrast, remained stuck in a time warp. An archipelago of 36 islands, of which 11 are inhabited with approximately 70,000 people, it has a low per capita income and high unemployment level of 13 per cent, as per the data provided by the UT Administration. Even after seven decades of Independence, net connectivity is in an elementary stage in Lakshadweep, especially at a time when the world is taking a giant online leap forward. So, what should we do? Should we leave these people behind in the name of ecology, while the rest of us in the mainland have all the fun? Isn’t it an elitist mentality on our part as we are continuously exploiting the planet for our whims and fancies but keeping these people in the dark ages in the name of ecology?
As the saying goes, life finds a way, so will these people in the archipelago, even if we close all doors of development. If we don’t give them education and jobs, they will find it through others, directly or indirectly working for those inimical to India’s interests, more so when China and Pakistan are overactive in these waters!
Therefore, when the Prime Minister awards a submarine optical fibre cable project of Rs 1,072 crore, expected to complete by 2023-24, it should be welcomed, for it will help create new opportunities for locals in the field of education, employment and business. When the UT Administration is developing three water villa projects in Minicoy, Kadmat and Suheli in collaboration with NITI Aayog, on the lines of Maldives, it should be hailed, for it will help generate jobs.
Better connectivity has an important role in promotion of tourism and regional development. Until now, only low-capacity aircraft (such as ATR aircraft) were able to land at the Agatti airport, due to which national and international tourists would come in small numbers. The UT Administration has started the process of expansion of the Agatti airstrip in collaboration with the Centre. This will enable big aircraft such as Boeing and Airbus to land there, thus facilitating connectivity and tourism.
Similarly, the islands have great potential in the coconut and fishing sectors. There are around 10.5 lakh coconut trees on the island and about 10.5 crore coconuts are produced annually in the Union Territory. Likewise, Tuna fish are found in abundance in the sea there. Approximately 25,000 metric tons of fish are caught every year, of which 92% are Tuna fish. But due to lack of proper arrangement of ice and fish processing, fishermen do not get fair prices for their catch.
It is no one’s contention that the ecology of the islands must be compromised, but one must realise that this can’t be an excuse to deprive the people of their right to life with basic facilities. As the Covid-19 crisis has shown, madhyam marg (middle path) is the way out. For, during the pandemic, with the disappearance of travellers, and flights and cruise ships on hold, carbon emissions have seen a record drop and wildlife a new leash of life. But, on the flip side, there has a rise in cases of poaching and illegal fishing, especially in developing nations. After all, drying up of money in the tourism sector has badly hit the people with interest in saving the wildlife!
One can take a cue from neighbouring Thailand, a tourist haven which was badly affected by Covid-19. During the pandemic, Koh Samui, Thailand’s second largest island, saw hawksbill turtles take over beaches that in 2018 hosted nearly three million tourists—several environmentalists had in the past written obituaries about turtles ever coming back there! In addition to the sea turtles, elephants, leaf monkeys and dugongs too made a comeback in unlikely places in Thailand. Taking note of this development, the Thai government has decided to shut national parks in stages each year, from two to four months, to help “nature can rehabilitate itself”.
Lakshadweep must follow the middle path of sustainable development. This will be a win-win scenario for everyone. Except those who have vested interests in manufacturing dissent!