Close the Andaman Trunk Road

The condemnable news of Jarawa tribals being forced to dance for food by tourists in the Andaman Islands brings back into focus the long-standing demand and ignored Supreme Court direction to close down the Andaman Trunk Road, the National Highway that connects the major islands of the archipelago.

The demand to close the Road is by no means new and it is based on sound scientific principles. The Jarawas, a protected tribe indigenous to the A&N Islands Union Territory, face an existential threat from contact with the outside world. From disease to exploitation, reportedly even sexual exploitation, the tribe will not be able to survive a further foreign onslaught.

As per International Law, the Islands are a protectorate of India, meaning that India must protect the native people. Even by Indian Law, the Jarawas are entitled to protection, especially of their way of life. In the midst of this, the Andaman Trunk Road is a blot on the landscape, cutting right through Jarawa territory and exposing them to the outside world. Even a Supreme Court directive to shut down this route was disregarded and given the remoteness of the area from the mainland, nobody seems to care.

However, this new incident brings back into sharp focus the exploitation of the indigenous Indian tribes. Let us not forget how, due to external interference, several languages died out amongst the Nicobar tribes. The very fact that the British built the Cellular Jail and India uses the islands for a tri-services command means that the tribes have been exposed to the outside world in a detrimental manner. Any further exposure will seal their fate. As Indians, we cannot allow our indigenous people to die out, no matter which part of the Republic they live in.