Port Blair, Sept. 23: A committee under the Chairmanship of Shri Vivek Rae, IAS (Retd.) was constituted by Ministry of Home Affairs vide order No-U-13018/1/2010-ANL dated 08th June 2017 to examine and make recommendation on the land matters of Andaman & Nicobar Islands.

The terms of reference of the committee was as follows:-

a. Whether amount paid as compensation to the people/farmers whose   lands were submerged during Tsunami 2004 should be treated as a relief package and land surrendered in lieu thereof to the government be returned to them;

b. Whether the amount paid as compensation to the farmers whose lands were submerged and land surrendered by them was adequate;

c. Whether excess land occupied by post-1942 (but pre-1961) settlers can and should be regularized and the modality thereof;

d. Examine the demand for regularization of encroachment of revenue land by post-1978 settlers and make recommendations;

e. Examine the demand for allotment of revenue land to post-1978 encroachers of forest land who have to be removed there-from on orders of the Hon’ble Supreme Court and make recommendations;

f. Examine the need, and efficacy, of a bill for preventing further encroachment of revenue and forests lands including stiff penal provisions. Any regulation made earlier in respect of encroachment of forest and revenue land may be taken into account while examining the issue.

The committee had visited A & N Islands and hold detailed discussions with general public/PRI members and other stake holders. After the deliberations the committee submitted its report to Govt. of India, MHA on 16th December, 2017.

Now the Govt. of India, MHA has asked the comments of the A & N Administration on the recommendation of the committee.

In this regard, the A & N Administration has decided to seek comments/views/suggestion of stake holders/PRI Members on the recommendation made by the committee.

The report of the committee on land matters alongwith its recommendation is uploaded in the South Andaman District website https://southandaman.nic.in. 

Therefore, the PRI Members/general public/stake holders are hereby requested to furnish their views /suggestions/objections on the above recommendation of the committee online on South Andaman District website https://southandaman.nic.in by 10.10.2018.