Days after the Supreme Court banned tourism activity near the habitat of Andaman's Jarawas, activist Aruna Roy on Friday sought NAC Chairperson Sonia Gandhi's intervention to ensure closure of a highway to end exploitation of the ancient tribe.
Roy, who is also a member of the National Advisory Council, forwarded a petition by Survival International, an organisation working for the rights of tribals, in this regard to Gandhi during the NAC meeting on Friday.
While they (Survival International) welcome the recent Supreme Court ruling declaring a buffer zone around the reserve, the real issue that has to be addressed is the Andaman Trunk Road, Roy said in a letter to Sonia Gandhi.
"This highway (the Andaman Trunk Road) caused widespread encroachment; poaching and commercial exploitation of Jarawa lands and has lead to tourists expressively taking this route to ogle at the Jarawa people," she said.
Even though the Supreme Court in 2002 ordered that a highway passing through the reserve be closed and an alternative sea route has been suggested by the Andaman administration and a sub-group of the NAC, this has not been implemented, she said.
"I urge you to ensure that the Andaman administration implements this ruling and shuts down this road immediately," Roy said.
Under no circumstances must top-down development be allowed in their case, or any policy to "include them in the mainstream". All decisions about their existence and future, must be taken by them only, she said.
On July 3, the Supreme Court banned all kinds of commercial and tourism activities within five kilometre radius around the Jarawa Tribal Reserve in Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
A bench of justices G S Singhvi and S J Mukhopadhaya upheld the notification to declare an area upto five kilometre radius around the Tribal Reserve as 'Buffer Zone' and prohibit entry of any person other than a member of aboriginal tribe into it.
