Plea to Sonia to close highway running through Jarawa land

Port Blair, Sep 13 (UNI) An organisation supporting tribals has presented a petition with 50,000 signatures in support of Andaman's primitive Jarawa tribe to Congress President Sonia Gandhi in New Delhi and to the Indian High Commission in London.

''Despite a Supreme Court order to close the highway which runs illegally through the Jarawa's land, it remains open, bringing disease, death and dependency. Jarawa women are sexually exploited by officials supposed to protect them. Poaching along the road and the coast is rife, threatening the food supply of the 250 Jarawa,'' the Jarawa petition in Survival's official website said.

''Buddhist monk Prajnalankar Bhikkhu presented the first 5,000 signatures to Sonia Gandhi's office in Delhi, and Survival's chairman Rafael Runco presented the remaining 45,000 to the Indian High Commission in London yesterday,'' Mariam Ross, the spokesperson of London-based Survival International informed UNI over official e-mail.

Ross added that the petition, signed by people from all over the world, calls on the government of India to close the road that runs through the Jarawa's land and prevent poachers, settlers and other outsiders from entering the reserve.

''The threat to the Jarawa is very serious. Local settlers are invading the reserve, exploiting the Jarawa and hunting the animals they depend on. Unless the government acts now to prevent this, the Jarawa may be completely wiped out,'' said Mr Runco in a release.

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