Between a Rock and a Hard Place: Lakshadweep Locals Set To Fight Tourism Plans 20/07/2021
The Lakshadweep atolls in the Arabian Sea depend on coral health, which locals and researchers believe have been endangered by new development plans for the islands. Photo: Naveen Namboothri/Carbon Copy
Lakshadweep is on the boil these days. The cause of mass resentment are the newly introduced draft laws – the Animal Preservation Regulation, the Prevention of Anti-Social Activities Regulation (popularly known as the Goonda Act) and the Panchayat Regulation. The furore is also targeted at administrator Praful Khoda Patel for initiating these measures and claiming to develop islands on the lines of Maldives under Lakshadweep Development Authority Regulation (LDAR) 2021. Marine biologists and environmentalists have vehemently opposed the new plans and expressed grave concern over their possible impact to the fragile ecology.
'The LDAR ignores a scientific understanding of Lakshadweep’s unique geography, ecology and culture, which place clear limits on the developmental possibilities on island, lagoon and reef.'
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