Lakshadweep MP P.P. Mohammad Faizal said that Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief and former Union Minister Sharad Pawar has sought time from Home Minister Amit Shah to urge him to recall the Union Territory’s administrator Praful Khoda Patel, and failing that, he would be approaching the courts to put an end to Mr. Patel’s plans for the Islands.
Speaking to The Hindu, Mr. Faizal said that Mr. Patel’s actions, in his view were driven by “corporate mindset” which he said, had also harmed the Union Territories of Daman and Diu. “His (administrator's) actions reveal more of a corporate mindset than communal, an attitude that is autocratic and dictatorial too. In Daman and Diu too we saw his autocratic and dictatorial behaviour in how traditional shelters for fishermen were destroyed and his actions as administrator there,” he said. Mr. Patel was administrator of Daman and Diu and Dadra and Nagar Haveli after the two Union Territories were merged.
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“The plans put forward by the administrator are in direct contravention of the Supreme Court and the findings of the Ravindran Committee that specifically said that all development projects relating to the islands has to be discussed and take into account the view of the gram panchayats. The Lakshadweep Development Authority and the powers vested in it are just being used to push for land grabbing,” he said.
“Not only are the islands designated Scheduled Tribe lands where buying of land by outsiders is prohibited, they hence come under government protection, but if you look at the islands, some of which are just over 3.2 sq. km. with a width of possibly 15m, what kind of highway or roads building are you talking about. These are plans that will disrupt the fragile ecology of the area and people are justifiably upset,” he said.
“If the we don’t get relief from the Central government in the withdrawal of these plans or recall of the administrator, we will approach the judiciary,” he added.
No rift over Lakshadweep ‘development’ push: BJP leader
The Lakshadweep issue has even riven a breach in the local BJP with several office-bearers speaking out against the actions of the administrator and having resigned from the party in protest.
