A group of 93 former civil servants wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, expressing concerns over the latest developments in the Union Territory of Lakshadweep. The letter flagged three issues over the three proposed regulations, the drafts of which have been recently introduced by administrator Praful Patel, leading to a massive backlash.
The letter said, “The developments are disturbing as they constitute an onslaught on the very fabric of Lakshadweep society, economy and landscape as if the islands were just a piece of real estate for tourists and tourism investors from the outside world.”
Among the 93 signatories, prominent ones are the Former National Security Adviser Shivshankar Menon, former Prasar Bharati CEO Jawhar Sircar, ex-Foreign Secretary Sujatha Singh, former Adviser to prime minister T K A Nair and former Chief Information Commissioner Wajahat Habibullah.
The letter said, “These drafts have been introduced without local consultation and are presently with the Ministry of Home Affairs, government of India for necessary approvals.” The letter was written by former civil servants under the aegis of Constitutional Conduct Group (CCG). A copy of this letter has been shared with home minister Amit Shah and Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar.
The letter added that the Lakshadweep Development Authority Regulation reflects a model of land and tourism development which includes resorts, hotels and beachfront on the “Maldives model” unmindful of the differences between the two island groups in size, population, number of islands and their spread.
