|
Following is the statement of Shri P R Kyndiah, Minister of Tribal Affairs on tragedy caused by the killer Tsunami Waves: -
“My Ministry is in constant and direct touch with the local authorities in Andaman and Nicobar group of islands. I spoke to Prof. Ram Kapse, Lt. Governor of Andaman and Nicobar and expressed my condolences for the bereaved families. I assured him of all the help necessary in tiding over the difficult times. I have also informed him of our decision to rush a team of experts and officials to the islands to assess the damage to the tribes of the Island so that relief could be immediately provided.
The 6 tribes of Andaman and Nicobar have been affected by the terrible natural calamity that has struck the region. Of the 6 tribes, 5 are primitive tribes. Although no exact figures of casualties among these tribes can be arrived at until all the missing are accounted for, it is clear that the major tribe of the region, the Nicobarese, who number about 26,000 have been the worst affected. The Jarawas and the Andamanese have escaped major losses due to their safer habitats.
The Ministry of Tribal Affairs has setup a Control Room to monitor the situation and collect information about these tribes under Shri S. Chatterjee, Joint Secretary, MTA. The Ministry has also decided to help the rehabilitation of the effected tribal families with a special programme. The details of the programme would be announced as soon as the immediate relief operations end and an estimate of the requirements of different communities are made.
In this connection, as has been already announced, a team of our officials and anthropological experts would go to the Islands to analyse the damage to each of the tribes. The visit of our team is dependent on the coordination with the local administration, which is currently busy with a massive relief and rescue operation.
In the meantime, I have instructed my officers to immediately get in touch with experts and chalk out strategy for helping those tribes that are not in direct contact with the administration.
I am deeply shocked and grieved at the huge tragedy that has struck our people. In this time of test, all the countrymen are with the families affected by the Tsunami waves”.
|
