Islands in peril
The NITI Aayog vision for ‘development’ in the Greater Nicobar Islands is against all norms that govern the protection of one of the best tropical rainforest regions in the world (‘Special’, Page 1, “NITI Aayog vision for Great Nicobar ignores tribal, ecological concerns, March 21). A case in point is Brazil’s Amazon rainforests and its tribes which are taken care of by a task force set up by the Brazilian government to protect the indigenous Guajajara tribe and the rainforests from illegal loggers. The Centre can take a cue from Brazil to address the ecological concerns of the fragile Andamans and stop tinkering with bio-diversity there. Have we forgotten the case of the Jarawa tribes of the Andamans who are now an endangered lot notwithstanding their special status?
A.V. Narayanan,
Tiruchi, Tamil Nadu
Without addressing ecological concerns and the interests of the tribals first, how could NITI Aayog’s ‘vision’ be called ‘holistic ‘and ‘sustainable?’ The ugly haste with which the whole process is unfolding, shows the mala fide intent to keep the genuine stakeholders in the dark. Knowing fully well that the project would be the death knell for the unique diversity of the Andamans, the NITI Aayog is trying to defend the indefensible.
Ayyasseri Raveendranath,
Aranmula, Kerala
If all the development plans see the light of day, they are sure to spell the destruction of hundreds of acres of rare forests and various creatures. Tons of non-recyclable waste materials are bound to be generated too. And in a few years, the unique, pristine and spectacular islands will become like any other Indian city. We need to cry ‘halt’.
Mohamed Iqbal,
Udhagamandalam, The Nilgiris
Maharashtra events
The goings-on in Maharashtra, on allegations of ‘collections’ through a neta-babu-police nexus are astonishing — the amount is now ₹100 crore (Page 1, March 21)! It is an open secret that every one including the media are helpless in fighting corrupt practices. Ultimately, it is the people who are the victims. How long do we have to live with this? Is there none to bell the cat?
J.P. Reddy,
Nalgonda, Telangana
Flouting the rules
There are several instances of people getting vaccinated out of turn, especially in Chennai. Although the government directive states that people above 60 and those above 45 with co-morbidities are eligible, several youngsters in the age group of 20-30 years (with no pre-existing conditions) are being vaccinated in hospitals in and around Chennai. Social media has such people posting their vaccination photos with messages such as “We got it through our influence” or “This hospital belongs to a family friend. So got it as a favour from them”, and so on. Of course, this means more numbers of people are getting vaccinated. But why are the government’s orders being flouted?
Madhav G.,
Chennai
