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Residents plan legal action over Lakshadweep island ‘takeover’
The acquisition would affect Bitra’s 350 residents, who depend on fishing and coconut cultivation, and impact a crucial 45-sq km lagoon area used by fishermen
The Lakshadweep administration is moving to acquire the entire Bitra island for transfer to India’s defence and strategic agencies, triggering fears among residents about displacement from their traditional fishing grounds.
A notification issued on July 11 by the territory’s revenue department for a social impact assessment cited the island’s “strategic location, national security relevance and inherent logistical and administrative challenges associated with civilian habitation” as justification for the takeover.
The acquisition would affect Bitra’s 350 residents, who depend on fishing and coconut cultivation, and impact a crucial 45-sq km lagoon area used by fishermen from across the archipelago.
Residents have decided to challenge the move in court, fearing the loss of livelihoods tied to the island’s rich marine ecosystem.
“If there is any move to displace people, we will fight it legally. There are around 350 persons here including children, all dependent on fishing and coconut plantations. This is the way of life. Fishermen from other islands also come here because of the abundance of lagoon fish, tuna and groupers,” a Bitra resident said.
Another resident said: “We are discussing on how to move forward. Where we live it is private land. If we do not manage to resolve this then we will challenge it in court just like the pandaram matter.”
On June 27, the Lakshadweep Administration’s department of revenue collectorate issued an order that said “pandaram” lands over which the government has “proprietary” rights will be taken back from islanders to whom these lands were leased out for a specified period. “… Pandaram Land in Lakshadweep islands has been given to islanders on lease for agricultural purposes. Such lease holders are called cowledars and they do not possess any (proprietary) rights over the said pandaram land given to them on lease … However, the ultimate proprietorship of this land is vested with the government. Therefore, the government can take back this pandaram land as and when required,” the order, signed by the collector, Arjun Mohan, said.
Residents later moved the Kerala high court against the move to acquire pandaram land. On July 8 last year, The the high court ordered an interim stay on the measure for three months, and the final judgment is likely to be pronounced soon.
Congress MP Muhammed Hamdullah Sayeed, too, said: “After this order was issued by the Lakshadweep administration, I had a consultation with the leaders of my party in Lakshadweep on Bitra, which is the smallest island in the Union Territory of Lakshadweep. The land is only about half a kilometre. But when you see its economic zone, it has the largest lagoon in Lakshadweep. The proposal of the administration to have it for national security is totally illogical because it’s a very peaceful area. We will take this forward both politically and legally because I, as a local and sole MP, would stand by the people of Bitra who are concerned because there have been no consultations whatsoever.”
“We already have a naval detachment at Kavaratti, which is the capital. We have in Minicoty, which is the southernmost island of Lakshadweep, and close to Maldives. In Andhroth also you have a naval detachment. These are populated islands. In Agatti, there is already an airport and it is under surveillance by the Indian Coast Guard also...I am not able to comprehend what is the logic behind this,” he added.
The island, covering 91,700 sqm (0.091 sq km), houses a school and health centre, serving as a community hub for one of Lakshadweep’s smaller populated islands.
According to a local school teacher, some infrastructure development has already begun, with radars and cottages constructed on Bitra.
“We have been aware that the administration is planning something in the islands and plan to take over land mainly for tourism and defence. Islanders will not give up their rights at any cost,” said a resident from neighbouring Chetlat island.
Shivam Chandra, Lakshadweep’s collector who issued the notification, was unreachable despite several attempts.
The acquisition requires a social impact assessment under the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act 2013.
The region has long figured in strategic defence infrastructure plans across the Lakshadweep archipelago. The Indian Navy has maintained permanent facilities on Kavaratti island since the 1980s, with INS Dweeprakshak commissioned in 2012, followed by the commissioning of INS Jatayu on Minicoy, the southernmost island of Lakshadweep, in March 2024.
Coast Guard stations operate on Kavaratti, Minicoy and Androth islands, while naval detachments provide surveillance and reporting capabilities. The islands’ location along the Eight and Nine Degree Channels – deep water passages -- through which major sea-based trade from the Suez Canal and Persian Gulf to Southeast Asia passes, makes them crucial for monitoring shipping lanes and projecting naval power in the Arabian Sea region.
The development comes amid broader policy changes affecting the islands. HT reported last week the Union environment ministry extended the validity of infrastructure projects cleared under the Islands Protection Zone notification 2011 to 10 years. The period may be extended by a maximum of one year if an application is made during the clearance validity along with recommendation from the concerned Coastal Zone Management Authority.
The July 4 notification aims to align environmental clearance validity in Lakshadweep and the Andaman and Nicobar islands with the nationwide Environment Impact Assessment notification 2006.
Off India’s southwestern coast, the Lakshadweep archipelago—comprising 36 islands with 10 inhabited—faces an unprecedented crossroads. Home to India’s only coral atolls, which makes it a vital ecological hotspot, the territory treads a precarious balance between development and ecology, even as its Indigenous population faces threats to its way of life.
Last year, HT published a five-part series highlighting how tourism and strategic projects threaten this delicate balance in these ecologically vital islands.
