Buffer Zone

Some of our islander friends are having a nightmare of their life after the cat namely Buffer Zone had been set out of the bag, which besides prohibiting free movement could append their landholdings for increasing the resource base of Jarawas!


The issue could be traced back to Sept 2004, wherein the A&N Administration notified certain areas as tribal reserve under PAT regulation 1956. The highly cryptic notification proved bouncer for the Islanders with mediocre understanding of the language. Life went on as usual. After 3 years, in Oct 2007 the administration issued another notification declaring area upto 5 km radius around Jarawa tribal reserve from Constance Bay in South Andaman to Lewis inlet bay in Middle Andaman as Buffer Zone (BZ). This notification did create some unrest but soon life became normal once again. The real shocker came on Dec 8^th 2010, when few officials zeroed into individual shops (at M Andaman) and handed over a Govt order mentioning their shop falls in the declared Buffer Zone hence be closed down before 09/12/2010, in compliance with Hon’ble Supreme Court order dated 03/12/2010. Every body was shell shocked, there was not even a day left to respond to the notice or seek remedy in the court of law.

Dissent started brewing. We did no harm to the Jarawas then why we are being intimidated? We have been co-existing with the tribes for more than six decades without any problem. Soon it came to the light that Buffer Zone has been formulated based on the recommendations of a sub-committee on Jarawas. It came as a rude shock, learning that there is not a single member from A&N islands in the sub-committee on Jarawas. How could such an important decision be taken without consulting us islanders, more so when the decision is going to adversely affect the life and livelihood of the Islanders? Altogether 31 historically settled villages from South, North and Middle Andaman has been brought under the ambit of Buffer Zone, without any consultation or publicity. The public, Panchayati Raj Institution, Zilla Parishad, Member of Parliament (present as well as former) everybody was kept in dark! These villages are not encroachments but had been settled by Govt under various schemes during 1949 to 1961, ie before 1956 PAT regulation came into existence and again during 1964 to 1971. The settler families with their blood, sweat and braving oddity made these Islands a Mini India.

Few NGO’s having little understanding of these far flung, logically constrained Islands and its unique problems, for reasons best known to them are keen to implement Buffer Zone. Some want ATR (NH-223) to be closed down without understanding the ATR is the LIFELINE, facilitating movement of essential commodities, foodgrains, medical help, evacuation of serious patients, fuels, building materials as well as public. Thanks our Administration did not buckle to such external pressure.

Jarawas were hostile, but after the Jarawa boy “Enmei” got treated at a hospital in 1997 with the help of villagers, they discarded hostility. These early signs, if properly nurtured could lead Jarawas to the mainstream. But who cares, NGO’s and almost all experts have branded these less privileged citizens of India (read Jarawas) as precious possessions worth preserving in jungles.


Example of races dwindling after coming in contact with outside world are cited, cleverly ignoring example of our Nicobari tribe which flourished after coming into mainstream. It has been proved only those tribes which were isolated from mainstream are struggling to survive. One should introspect how an islander travelling in ATR, in convoy accompanied by armed police do harm to Jarawas?

Jarawas are infact threatened by poachers who are depleting their resources and casual contacts by few tourists. Administration should spare efforts to stop such unsolicited contacts rathere heaping blame on the islanders using ATR. Common islanders have no contact with Jarawas, hence question of villagers harming them does not arise. Whereas the fact is presence of civil society around Jarawa reserves could help Administration in keeping an eye on unsolicited contacts.

The assurance conveyed by Hon’ble LG during his recent tour to N&M Andaman followed by RD 2011 address  that “…BZ will not cause inconvenience…there will be no displacement in this count…” did pacify the agitated. But as long as the BZ notification remains in force no one is sleeping well. Meetings, street marches, shouting slogans will continue…! Administration ought to make the peoples aware of the steps being taken to protect the interest of islanders so that remaining misconceptions could be nailed in the coffin for ever.

The islanders urge the administration to take a holistic view in the matter so that interests of the bonafide islanders as well as Jarawas are protected. A lot is at stake, on 04/03/2011.

This article originally published in The Echo of India in its Port Blair Edition dated : 31/01/2011