Vikramaditya
Port Blair, Sept 08: This has been reported that on 5th and 6th September 2020 several members of Jarawa Tribal Community entered inside two different villages of Baratang Island and they also interacted with civil population in atleast one occasion.
This is a serious lapse, which could be prevented and this lapse might lead to transmission of Covid-19 infection among Jarawa Tribes, many believe.
On 5th September 2020 three members of Jawara Tribes reportedly entered inside villages between Gandhi Ghat and Adazig areas of Baratang Island while on 6th September four members of Jarawa Tribes reached near Baratang Bridge construction site and interacted with the labourers, living in temporary shelters.
There are also unconfirmed reports that four members of Jarawa Tribes, who visited the bridge construction area in the morning hours had food inside the shelters of labourers, while labourers were reportedly in panic after seeing Jarawa Tribes.
Not only this in the evening hours two more members of Jarawa Tribal Community visited the same area.
Many believe that this is a serious lapse from the side of Tribal Welfare Department and AAJVS to allow Jarawa Tribes to enter inside civil population areas, as during the time of COVID-19 pandemic, this could result in a disaster.
As per details, when information was received by the PS Baratang, the police team took immediate steps and brought a few AAJVS staffs from Middle Strait to guide the members of Jawara Tribes back to their place.
When contacted an officer of Tribal Welfare Department, who does not want his name to be quoted, told Andaman Sheekha that the Tribal Welfare Department has complete knowledge of these two incidents and after this incidents, most of the Tribal members have been shifted to Lewaital area of Jarawa Tribal Reserve, as a precaution.
Moreover, he claimed that during both the incidents, Tribal Welfare department and AAJVS staffs were present with the tribes and so there is nothing to worry about. He said that the Jarawa tribes had visited the areas to collect honey.
He also added that the members of Jarawa Tribes have a dinghy, which was stolen from some fishermen of Baratang area long back and now it is possible to take the dinghy back from them. He said that some members of Jarawa Tribes often take the dinghy and come towards Middle Strait to collect honey and often they come towards Baratang also.
However he said that the Tribal Welfare Department has two motorized dinghies and also the Department is hiring private dinghies so that better monitoring of Jarawa Tribes could be done.
The officer added that the department is taking all necessary action now, so that such mistakes are not repeated.
“The Department is frequently distributing necessary commodities to the Jarawa Tribes in three different locations so that they don’t come out of the area towards Middle Strait. The three different locations where the Jarawa Tribes have been kept are Lewaital, Lakra Lungra and Bada Balu,” he added.
People of Baratang Island now demanding that the Tribal Welfare Department must post more staffs in Baratang region so that such incidents are not repeated as entering of Jarawa Tribes in civil population might result in untoward incident in future and this is also risky for civil population.
There are many private houses and government quarters around the Baratang Bridge construction area and such movement of Jarawa Tribes in the area and interaction with people is also risky for the Jarawa Tribes considering the rapid spread of COVID-19.
(www.andamansheekha.com)
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*Post Lockdown, Forest Department removes more Traps from Woods*
John Wilbert & Sarthak Kanjilall
Port Blair, September 07: As many as 196 more deadly traps have been removed by the team of Manglutan Range and Manarghat Range of Forest Department today while the teams patrolled in the woods of Kalapahad and Nimbubagicha area.
As per reports, these traps were sighted between Bakarabalu and Dhaninallah. The forest team of Manglutan Range also rescued a Deer trapped in the nylon trap.
The team was lead by Head Forest Guard, Mr. Karthik Sarkar, Forest Guard, Mr. Zakir Hussain, and mazdoors namely Mr. D Ramesh, Mr. Modicai, Mr. Emil Dung Dung, Mr. Vincent, Mr. Patrick, Mr. Prem Kumar Sikdar, and Mr. Rajesh.
Although this is a great initiative of Forest Department to remove all these traps from jungle and save the wildlife but there are many who are demanding registration of police complaints against the poachers and proper investigation and identification of poachers, who laid these traps in forest areas.
Courtesy Andaman Sheekha
