Lakshadweep may be the ideal spot for nature enthusiasts and in bucket list of many. Known for its rich biodiversity , islands , beaches, coral reefs and crystal clear blue water attracts many wanderlust people. Not known to many people the Lakshadweep is a group of 36 islands present in Arabian sea near Kerala.
Along with a union, the territory has the highest literacy rate of women in India of 96.5 while has the name for the smallest union territory in India.
The name is originated from Malayalam means “one lakh islands”. Though Lakshadweep does not have its legislative assembly and Chief ministers like Puducherry and Delhi but has three levels of a political framework that is member of parliament in Lok sabha which is currently Mohammed Faizal, Panchayat and, an administrator appointed by the president over a population of 65,000 over an area of mere 32 Km^2.So what is the trouble in Lakshadweep?
The administrator appointed were I.A.S or I.P.S officer but in past after the death of Dineshwar Sharma who was the former administrator till 2020, the post now was given to Politician Praful Khoda Patel who started as an MLA of Gujrat in Himatnagar and was a replace of Amit Shah as Minister of state for home in 2010. He was even the administrator of Daman and Diu in 2014 and Dadra and Nagar haveli in 2016 as a result during the election bill was passed in Lok sabha and merged the two union territories in one which is now The Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu also were the administrator. He was also involved in an incident where 90 houses in Daman and Diu were demolished as they were sea-faced as were a “threat to nature”.
As of now in Lakshadweep, the power of Panchayat over five areas Education, health care, agriculture, animal husbandry, and fisheries has been cut down. Also, the law was imposed on the panchayat election that person more than two children are ineligible to contest the election interestingly the law is not imposed all over India why? maybe of fact that 96 MPs of 303 elected MPs have three or more children and also the act that fertility of women in Lakshadweep is 1.4 according to 2019-20 stats which is much less than both India’s and world fertility rate which is at 2.179 and 2.4 respectively knowing that fertility rate of any place indicates average no. of births a woman gives during her reproductive phase [15-50] so question arise that why impose such a law?
People of Lakshadweep have allegedly accused Praful Patel of the rise in covid cases in Lakshadweep. During the initial wave of coronavirus, the islands did not record any cases till Jan 18 of 2020 while the standard operating procedure was mandatory negative RT-PCR and a 14 days strict quarantine while was changed by Patel himself to a negative RT-PCR test last 48 hour which cause the rise of cases from zero to 6,000 cases till date.
Introduction to a draft by Praful Patel on Jan 28, 2021, as Goonda act to prevent anti-social activity in Lakshadweep says a person found guilty in such activities will not have the right to go for the court of law while the powers are in the hand of the administrator and police to set back the person for 7 days, to which MP of Lakshadweep says “it is meant to terrorize people and prevent protests. Goonda act is beginning of Saffronisation project of the island” similar act was imposed in 1919 by British on Indian as Rowlatt act. the current act also includes that the central government may or may not designate organizations or persons as a terrorist.
Never the less bring in another draft as Lakshadweep development authority and regulation act in 2021 by the administrator himself which says
- The ownership of resident land on the islands to be change
- To modify usage in Lakshadweep to provide unused power to authority and may have possession of resident’s ownership over the land.
- The government can select any land for its development.
- it says that decisions on any development plan should not be questioned by anyone.
Even knowing the fact that beef being one of their traditional food interfere with the selling of beef and beef products. People have been protesting over these initiatives and save the islands from the new laws and trying to disturb the natural habitat against the government, protesting by observing a black day by residents and local leaders on Jun 14 but mainstream media might have forgotten.
This might be the question of whether Lakshadweep is in or not in danger?
Vishaya World 