Order follows Andaman and Nicobar Administration’s January 17 notification

The Supreme Court on Monday banned tourists from taking the Andaman Nicobar Trunk Road that passes through the area where the Jarawas live. The road is used to reach the Limestone Cave. The court has already banned all commercial and tourism activities within a five-km radius of the Jarawa Tribal Reserve on the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

A ruling by Supreme Court, which would have drastically curtailed the notorious ‘human safaris’ in the Andaman Islands is being ignored by the islands’ authorities.

Earlier this month, Supreme Court imposed a 5-kilometer buffer zone around the Jarawa Reserve, to help reduce the exploitation of the tribe by tourists. The ruling puts an end to tourist resorts near the Reserve, and closes other commercial attractions such as the Islands’ mud volcano and limestone caves. However, at the time of going to press, more than two weeks on, the volcano and caves remain open.

The longstanding dilemma of how to best ensure the survival of one of India’s extant prehistoric peoples—the Jarawas of the Andaman islands—and their traditions is again occupying centrestage.

The briefcase-wielding officials in Oren Ginzburg's satirical cartoon series

Priscilla Jebaraj

NEW DELHI: Forget all those wildlife safaris promising glimpses of lions and tigers. Some tour operators in the Andamans are offering more

Port Blair bench allows resort that may endanger Jarawas THE Calcutta High Court has cleared the construction of a holiday resort near the forest area reserved for the threatened Jarawa tribe in South Andamans. The Andaman administration had appealed against building the resort saying it was within the five-kilometre buffer zone of the reserve and would endanger the tribe