MP hopes House panels will rein in island Administrator

Faizal seeks Scheduled Tribe status for Lakshadweep islanders

P. P. Mohammed Faizal, Lakshadweep MP, has expressed the hope that the visits by two parliamentary committees in succession to the island earlier this month will check unilateral actions by the Lakshadweep Administration and bring about perceptible changes in the lives of the people. The Parliamentary Committee on Subordinate Legislation had visited the archipelago, which had been a flashpoint ever since Praful Khoda Patel assumed charge as the Administrator last year. “The committee closely evaluated the violation of rules and regulations in the island especially with regard to aspects like land acquisition, stripping the powers of the panchayat, violations by the Administration, devaluation of land etc. The committee has placed pointed queries before the Administration to which it is supposed to respond within 15 days. On receipt of it, the committee will once again convene and finalise its recommendations and table the report in the House,” said Mr. Faizal, who expected the committee visit to make the officials concerned more accountable rather than dancing to the tunes of the Administrator. The Parliamentary Committee for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes Welfare, he said, had unanimously recommended the inclusion of the island in the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution after being convinced that the entire population belongs to the Scheduled Tribe. The committee has asked the Administration to put up a proposal to that effect. “The move is significant in that it will bestow special consideration to the island and ensure protection of tribal rights. It will also effectively prevent unilateral actions by the Administration,” said Mr. Faizal. He wondered why the matter was missed during the formation of the Indian Union on gaining Independence and why none of his predecessor MPs had taken it up earlier.