Notification of land acquisition for tourism raises concern in Lakshadweep

REsidents of Lakshadweep ar protesting an try by the unification soil’s governing body to acquire 101,020 sq m of private land for tourism and other projects at Agatti Island on the grounds that this is being done without requiring the mandatory approval of gram sabhas and land owners as prescribed by law. The area of land sought to be acquired is a little over 3% of the total area of Agatti.The plan to acquire this land was notified by Shivam Chandra, collector, Lakshadweep on January 5. To be sure, while it says a Social Impact Assessment study will be carried out in sync with the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013, it mentions that the consent of “gram sabhas and/or land owners is “not mandatory”, the notification, seen by HT, said.Islanders became concerned when they came across the notification, days after it was issued. Six islanders from Agatti sent a memorandum, seen by HT, on the issue to the minister of tribal affairs; National Commission for Scheduled Tribes and advisor to the Lakshadweep Administrator on February 1. The memorandum says “it is shocking” that “consent of Gram Sabhas and / or land owners is not mandatory” according to the notice. It adds that in the last five years, the UT’s administration has come out with several projects to acquire large areas of tribal land holdings “which are not justifiable and harmful to the fragile environment of our small coral islands”. The projects are in “clear violation of the Environment Protection Regulations, guidelines and approved Integrated Island Management Plan (IIMP),” it states.Lakshadweep collector Shivam Chandra did not respond to HT’s calls or messages.“The unique marine environment, the coral Island, lagoon water body and the beautiful nature of Lakshadweep is the most important aspect making it a great destination. Hence protection / conservation of nature and the environment is very important for sustainable tourism projects. More and more concrete roads along the beach line will only damage the natural beauty and quite serene and tranquil atmosphere of Agatti Island,” it says, adding while there is already a road within 50-100 m, all around the island’s 15-km long coastline, the administration has recently come out with a plan to construct a 12-m wide concrete road along the coastline in the CRZ/ No Development Zone.HT reached out to minister of tribal affairs Jual Oram’s office. He is yet to respond to the query.Lakshadweep consists of 36 islands of which only 10 are inhabited. The land area is only 32 sq km and lagoon area is 4,200 sq km, according to draft note of the ministry of home affairs available on the National Commission for Scheduled Tribe’s website. The majority of population in Lakshadweep belong to Scheduled Tribes.In 2024, HT along with the Pulitzer Center, published a series of stories on how Lakshadweep’s coral reefs were impacted by climate crisis, especially severe marine heat waves since October 2023. The series covered how impacts of climate change along with mega tourism and infrastructure plans are threatening the fragile balance in Lakshadweep and impacting the lives of local people. Lakshadweep experienced a severe coral bleaching event in 2024. The heat stress in Lakshadweep (Laccadive Sea) and in SE India was record-setting in 2024 according to Derek P Manzello, Coordinator, NOAA Coral Reef Watch, Center for Satellite Applications and Research Satellite Oceanography & Climatology Division.