Sri Vijaya Puram, April 9: Shri Bishnu Pada Ray, Hon’ble Member of Parliament, Andaman & Nicobar Islands, has urged the Hon’ble Prime Minister, the Hon’ble Union Home Minister, and the Hon’ble Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change to take urgent intervention for approval and implementation of the long-pending rehabilitation and resettlement plan for forest encroacher families in the Andaman & Nicobar Islands.
Highlighting the seriousness of the issue, Shri Ray stated that thousands of families classified as Pre-1978 and Post-1978 forest encroachers have been identified across various parts of the Islands and are awaiting proper rehabilitation. As per available data, around 515 pre-1978 families and 3,463 post-1978 families have been identified for relocation.
He informed that a comprehensive rehabilitation plan was prepared by the Andaman & Nicobar Administration and submitted to the Ministry of Home Affairs as early as 2003. However, despite the passage of more than two decades, the plan is yet to be implemented.
The delay is primarily due to the pendency of the matter before the Supreme Court of India. Shri Ray has requested that the concerned case be taken up for early hearing and disposal to facilitate implementation of the rehabilitation plan.
He emphasized that due to the prolonged delay, affected families continue to live in difficult and uncertain conditions, lacking basic amenities such as drinking water, electricity, healthcare, education and road connectivity.
Shri Ray also underlined the strategic importance of rehabilitating these families in coastal areas. Referring to recent observations by Mohan Bhagwat, he stated that strengthening human settlement in coastal regions is crucial for national security, especially in preventing illegal activities such as foreign intrusion and poaching in the Island territories. In his representation, Shri Ray has requested for (i) Early hearing of the pending case in the Supreme Court (2)Coordinated action by the Ministry of Home Affairs, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, and A&N Administration (3) Implementation of a time-bound rehabilitation plan with basic amenities and livelihood support (4) Conduct of a fresh survey/re-verification to include all eligible families.
He stated that timely action will not only address a long-standing humanitarian concern but also contribute to coastal security, planned development, and national interest.