Shompen elder and young boy paddling in a canoe. Please recall that I had earlier apprised you of the fact that the local Tribal Council had opposed the project vehemently, as it would deprive them of a substantial portion of the Tribal Reserve, which is their habitat on which they critically depend. The few Shompens located in the A&N Islands stand notified as a Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group (PVTG) and both the Shompens and the Nicobarese have special Constitutional rights that need to be respected. A time has come, respected Rashtrapatiji, when you should decisively intervene in the matter by standing up for both the Nicobarese and the Shompens so as to ensure that the Centre and the A&N administration respect their sentiments and protect their Constitutional rights. Respectfully,E A S SarmaFormer Commissioner (Tribal Welfare)Govt of Andhra Pradesh (AP)&Former Secretary to the Government of IndiaVisakhapatnam

Source: The Hindu January 23, 2026 05:50 UTC