Campbell Bay, 04 Mar 2021
Sri Lankan Tamil Settlers of Katchal Island are protesting for their resettlement from the tribal Katchal Island to a non-tribal area since 106 days. The members of their community are also on relay hunger strike to press for their demands.
The protests of the Sri Lankan Tamil Settlers started on 18th of November 2020 and ever since they have been peacefully protesting to press for their demand of resettlement from Katchal to a non-tribal area.
These Sri Lankan Settlers are facing a lot of issues at Katchal Island and the demand for their resettlement is almost three decades old. The first protests by the Sri Lankan Tamil Settlers for their resettlement was witnessed in the year 1995. The Tribal Council of Katchal and the Tribal Development Council, Andaman and Nicobar Islands have also written letters to the senior authorities of Andaman and Nicobar Administration demanding to resettle these Tamil Settlers to a non-tribal area.
Andaman and Nicobar Administration in the 1970’s settled some Tamil origin settlers who were brought back to India by the Govt. under a pact with the Sri Lankan Govt. in Katchal Island. ANPAT Regulation which declares Katchal as tribal area was effective since 1956 and Andaman and Nicobar Administration settled these settlers from Sri Lanka in Katchal Island without de-notifying the area of their settlement and without following proper procedures.
Every household was provided with jobs in the rubber plantation and with some undocumented land for kitchen garden. The problems of the Sri Lankan Tamil Settlers intensified after the closure of Andaman and Nicobar Forest Development Corporation Ltd. the company responsible for the upkeep and operations at the rubber plantation.
Sri Lankan Tamil Settler families were left unemployed and they started facing problems in the earning livelihood to sustain themselves. These settler families are even denied bank loans for businesses since they do not posses any collateral and are legally unauthorised occupants in a tribal area.
According to these Sri Lankan Tamil Settlers they are unable to even maintain their half a century old houses because these houses are not theirs technically. They are even unable to construct toilets in their homes, which is a basic necessity for human survival.
Their voices were raised in the Parliament several times and every time they only got assurances of resettlement, but no concrete action was taken by the Andaman and Nicobar Administration. During the visit of the former Prime Minister Shri. Atal Bihari Vajpayee to Andamans, the issue of resettlement of these settlers was taken up in the IDA meeting and the Prime Minister is said to have instructed the Andaman and Nicobar Administration to properly resettle these Tamil Origin Sri Lankan Settlers, but any fruitful result was not obtained.
These settlers even approached the Court, which ordered the Andaman and Nicobar Administration to facilitate their resettlement but again the Administration failed to do the needful. Even a contempt to Court proceeding against the Administration resulted in the Court Ordering the Administration to resettle these settlers to a non-tribal area, but it could not be achieved.
Some members of the Sri Lankan Tamil Settler Community recently visited New Delhi with Shri. Ajoy Bairagi, State President of Bharatiya Janata Party, Andaman and Nicobar Islands and met the Ministers and officials from Ministry of Home Affairs. The Ministers and officers assured the Sri Lankan Tamil Settlers that they will take up the issue of their resettlement with the Andaman and Nicobar Administration.
Nicobar Times spoke to some members of the Sri Lanakan Tamil Settler Community of Katchal Island this afternoon and they conveyed to us that, they are very hopeful after the appointment of Shri. Jitendra Narain as the Chief Secretary of Andaman and Nicobar Administration. They also informed us that they will continue their protests and will further be forced to start indefinite hunger strike, if their demand for resettlement is not fulfilled.
The Sri Lankan Tamil Settlers of Katchal Island have also informed Nicobar Times that, if the Andaman and Nicobar Administration is unable to settle them at a non tribal area, they are ready to be settled properly at Katchal Island itself after proper de-notification of their area from ANPAT Regulation.
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