New Delhi: The gradual shrinking of the number of ships going to-and-fro from the islands of Lakshadweep and the Indian mainland has now culminated in a transportation crisis, bringing residents of the islands to the streets in protests.
Authorities came down heavily on protesters, with reports of wide-spread arrests emerging from the south-western archipelago.
Lakshadweep is an archipelago of 36 islands (of which 10 are inhabited) and as such, people living there need to travel to the Indian mainland frequently to buy essentials, attend colleges and so on.
In recent years, however, the number of ships operating to ferry islanders have shrunk due to a variety of reasons, such as the ships being decommissioned or being pulled out of action for maintenance and repair activities. As such, the seven ships which used to operate have now shrunk to just two.
The effects of this travel disruption are felt most severely at this time of year, when students from the islands begin to go away to colleges and universities. Further, smaller boats are not operational during the rainy season.
The simmering anger has now culminated in wide-spread protests in the Union Territory, which on Thursday, July 21, saw a number of islanders march to the secretariat in the capital, Kavaratti, the Indian Express reported. The protesters demanded that ship services between Lakshadweep and Kochi in Kerala be resumed.
Authorities responded by arresting large numbers of protesters. The arrests created a controversy, prompting the UT administration to issue a statement saying that the arrests came as a result of the violation of prohibitory orders and in order to maintain peace.
The statement also blamed false and fabricated media reports, saying that the administration had been undertaking various schemes of the development of the islands. It also said that the recent protests were aimed at creating a “fear psychosis” against the government machinery.
Further, Lakshadweep administrator Praful Khoda Patel alleged that the protests were taking place because the islanders were “encouraged by certain organisations”.
“But what is taking place in the name of protests is a political stunt. Similar to the high rush of passengers in trains during peak seasons, the vacation season is to blame for the increased demand for services and the associated difficulties,” the Express quoted Patel as saying.
Patel said that the administration had already started taking action to resolve the issue, claiming that the Shipping Corporation of India is repairing one of the major ships that would ferry passengers to the mainland after it caught fire.
Claiming that the islands have remained “underdeveloped” since Independence, the administrator further said that “aggressive steps” to bring progress to Lakshadweep have been undertaken since he took charge in December, 2020.
He said that the administration has built schools, colleges, a polytechnic and a nursing institute so that islanders would not have to travel to Kerala for education.
“In this brief amount of time, we have also begun admissions. Along with this, we have taken significant initiatives for tourism, sea protection walls, ice factories, and other things. Two significant airport expansion projects are now underway,” the Express quoted him as saying.
Past discontent with the administrator
Patel, a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and former Gujarat minister, has been embroiled in his fair share of controversies since taking charge. The mostly-Muslim population of the UT reportedly regards him as indifferent to needs of the community due to certain proposed measures and draft laws initiated by his administration.
The draft laws, as The Wire had reported last year, proposed prolonged preventive detention, forced land acquisition, bans those having more than two children from contesting elections, and prohibits cattle slaughter, among other unpopular provisions.
Also read: ‘Lakshadweep’s First United Protest In History’: UT Residents Fast, Strike Against Patel Admin
Various other administrative steps, such as closing of local dairy farms, demolition of fisher folks’ and coconut farmers’ shelters, and elimination of hundreds of jobs has led locals in Lakshadweep, who have largely been peaceful, to be up in arms.
The Kerala assembly had reportedly even adopted a motion in June, 2021, for the removal of Patel as administrator.
The islands also saw protests in November last year after the Patel administration hiked fares for public transport and emergency services, such as air ambulances.
In response to those protests, too, authorities used threats and intimidation to quell the dissent, arresting legislators and reportedly directing school principals to share details of student protesters.