#SaveLakshadweep has been trending on Twitter. Reason: Celebrities, politicians, social media users and general public were asking for the removal of the UT’s administrator Praful K Patel.
Patel was appointed as the administrator of Lakshadweep in December 2020. Ever since then, people are outraged over a few proposals passed by him, including beef ban. The Administrator has also allegedly closed down all dairy farms operated by the Animal Husbandry Department.
Moreover, the group of islands that form Lakshadweep was COVID free for almost a year until Patel took over. Now, the archipelago has seen 6,847 COVID-19 cases until 24th May and is under a strict lockdown since 2 months.
This Twitter thread explains the effect of lockdown on its people and their livelihoods.
Other regulations that have caused a public outrage on Twitter include the draft Lakshadweep Development Authority Regulation 2021 (LDAR), which gives the administrator powers to remove or relocate the residents from their property for town planning or any other developmental activity.
Once a land is picked by the government for developmental activity, it will be deemed as land needed for a “public purpose”. Further, the activities listed in the draft regulation include building, engineering, mining, quarrying, etc. on, over, or under the land and nobody can question any of these activities once approved.
While people can submit comments and suggestions on LDAR latest by 31st May, residents feel that it will interfere and destroy the island’s land-use pattern and culture.
There’s also the Prevention of Anti-Social Activities Act (PASA), introduced in January 2021, under which a person can be detained without any public disclosure for a period of up to one year and the draft panchayat notification that proposes the disqualification of panchayat poll aspirants with more than two children.
Actors, politicians and people from all walks of life have expressed their anger on Twitter.
It is also alleged that the administrator is misusing the current lockdown situation to implement reforms, including denying permission for protests.