Port Blair: Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Kiren Rijiju on Friday said that Centre will work towards checking illegal migration into the strategic islands of Andaman & Nicobar.
With the situation coming to Centre's notice that people from abroad were managing to secure fake identities to infiltrate into Andaman & Nicobar islands, the Centre was committed to put a check on such activities, Rijiju told newsmen here.
Cautioning against overcrowding in the environmentally sensitive islands, Rijiju said congestion would impede its ecological protection and sustainable development.
He mooted effective regulations in allowing people from outside the Islands into restricted areas.
However, Rijiju emphasized that while protecting the cultural identities and livelihood of indigenous population, promotional activities should also go hand in hand in such a way that balanced growth is ensured without compromising the interests of the tribal people.
Rijiju was on a three-day official tour to the Islands.
The minister said his government has proposed to give 33 per cent reservation to women in police which would come in force very soon.
He exhorted the citizens to be gender-sensitive and to respect the rights and dignity of women.
Under police modernisation programme, more closed-circuit TVs and better street lighting and traffic systems would be provided apart from augmenting the strength of police personnel, Rijiju said.
While responding to a query on the issue of high cost of air travel between the islands and mainland, the minister said the issue would be actively looked into by the Centre.
The need to increase the frequency of inter-island ferry service would also be considered sympathetically, he said.
Action is initiated at a fast pace to overcome the problem of poor telecom connectivity in the Islands that suffer from paucity of satellite transponders with a sum of Rs 150 crore already released to the Islands Administration by the Centre towards the end.
As the economy of the nation has clocked 5.7 per cent growth, the financial situation would improve in due course and more funds would be available for plan projects aimed at development activities.
The Chief Secretary of the Andaman and Nicobar Administration Anand Prakash and the Member of Parliament of Andaman and Nicobar, Bishnu Pada Ray were with the minister during the press conference.
