Need to strengthen Tribal Council in tsunami hit islands

Port Blair, Feb 21 (UNI) Top administration officials in Andaman and Nicobar Islands have stressed the need for strengthening the Tribal Council of the arehipelago.

'' This could be done by involving the council in planning and development in the tsunami hit islands,'' Chief Secretary of remote Andaman and Nicobar islands, Mr Shumsher K Sheriff said here today.

Addressing a workshop on community participation and project sustainable in Port Blair, the top most official of the remote archipelago, said the tribal council is a unique institution of our country, which needs to be encouraged .

He said the Nicobar group of islands, which suffered the maximum brunt of 2004 tsunami, is mainly dominated by Nicobari Tribals and the community is governed by Tribal Councils in each tribal islands, which have similar rights like Panchayati Raj Institutions.

'' The problems and issues relating to the tribal need to be considered at the earliest for the benefit of the tribal community,'' he said.

The lone Member of Parliament from Andaman and Nicobar Islands Mr Manoranjan Bhakta said, ''Tribal people of Nicobar group of islands had overcome the trauma of the disastrous tsunami and have come out whole heartedly to cooperate with the government and NGOs in the reconstruction works post-tsunami.'' The workshop was organized by UNICEF, in which about 50 tribal leaders from different tsunami ravaged islands of Car Nicobar, Chowra, Teressa, Kamorta and Katchal participated.

UNI