Campbell Bay, 04 Dec 2020
Sri Lankan Tamil Settlers of Katchal Island have been protesting for their resettlement to South Andaman since the last 17 days. These settlers have also started a relay hunger strike which has entered the 12th Day today. A few days ago the women members of the society had taken the lead and now they are on relay hunger strike, to support their protesting male counterparts.
The demand of these Sri Lankan Settlers is to resettle them in a non-tribal area preferably in South Andaman District. These tribal settlers were settled in Katchal Island in the 1970s to work in the rubber plantation. Before their settlement, the area was also not de-notified as Tribal Reserve under ANPAT Regulation, 1956.
These settlers of Katchal Island were originally small in numbers and consisted of about 49 families, but with time their families have grown and now they are a community of about 1000 individuals. Bharatiya Janata Party, Andaman and Nicobar Islands have extended their support to the issue of resettlement of these settlers and has demanded implementation of the decisions taken in the IDA meeting of 2003 held under the leadership of the then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.
The Tribal Council of Katchal along with the Tribal Development Council of Andaman and Nicobar Islands have also demanded that these settlers be resettled in a non-tribal area sighting various reasons.
There are reports of constant conflict between the settlers and the tribals in Katchal Island because of various reasons. Further, the settlers are not able to perform any commercial activity on the Island or start a business to earn their livelihood. The basic facilities and rights than one enjoy as an Indian Citizens are denied to these settlers because of being settled in a tribal area.
Several other organisations and groups are in support of these settlers and have written to the Andaman and Nicobar Administration seeking their resettlement to a non-tribal area.
The settlers are also adamant on their demands and are not ready to bow down before a definite timeline for their resettlement is promised by Andaman and Nicobar Administration.
The settlers are now waiting for the Deputy Commissioner of Nicobar District and other senior officers of Andaman and Nicobar Administration to visit them at Katchal Island so that they can explain their problems to the authorities in person.
The Assistant Commissioner of Nancowry had earlier visited Katchal, but no solution could be found for the resettlement of the Settlers, hence their protests continued and intensified. Andaman and Nicobar Administration needs to find a solution to the issues of these Sri Lankan Tamil Settlers of Katchal Island and should take immediate steps to resettle them in a non-tribal area.
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