Onge tribe of Little Andaman

Visit to Onge tribe settlement at Gundong Creek, Little Andaman.
Her Excellency Hon'ble President of India- who is a Santhal tribe of Central India directed Ministry of Tribal Affairs, Government of India to focus attention on Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTG) of India and to pay site visits for effective delivery.
On the instruction of Her Excellency - Hon'ble President of India , Ministry of Tribal Affairs allocated to me the Onge tribe of Andamans for my field visit.
Courtesy Tribal Affairs, Government of Andaman & Nicobar. Special thanks to the Officials who arranged my official tour comfortable and a memorable learning experience .
Due to very tight schedule of journeys by air, road and water transport across the islands resulting in inadequate period for study, a desired level of study could not be conducted. Within constrained period, I have tried my best to produce the desired result to sensitize the Government on the most needed area for attention.
I hope that my documents will open eyes to give special attention to built sustainable population for the vanishing tribes; and not to misuse the islands for capitalist greed to launch military station, trade and tourism at the cost of human lives.
India's naval station should be immediately abandoned and population of settlers should be restricted to not more than 2 lakhs. Only original settlers of British days should be allowed and the rest to be screened meticulously for eligibility of residence. Special permits for immigrant workers and labourers with allocated period of stay on the islands will help reduce overcrowding of towns & villages. Restricted zones are being trespassed in the name of tourism and infrastructure development. Incidentally, I have not seen any foreign tourists during my visit. The absence of foreign tourists infers that despite the bountiful natural beauty, Government of India has failed to attract foreign tourists in prized tourist sites. Instead, encroachment by settlers & poachings by Indian visitors have reduced natural habitation of tribes leading to reduced forest produce and livelihood leading to colossal decline in tribal population over the years. Unregulated local visits & migration posed the single largest problem for survival of the tribes of Andaman. One tribe is already extinct. Government has not woken up to tackle the problem seriously. Onges are below hundred and the other tribes are just about hundreds.
Government must take note of the huge disproportionate numbers of immigrants/ settlers against declining population of indigenous tribes of Andamans. A balancing approach should constitute the first immediate step to safeguard the interest of vanishing tribes of Andamans. Controlled reduction of human influx in the island habitation by outsiders will allow natural space for indigenous people. Constructed human tariff will also protect the most vulnerable tribes from modern diseases creeping through Government assisted foods, items and people contact.
A note of caution for Government of India is not to use tribes of India as decoration pieces to built image but to sincerely empower them with honest intention for self support to give them a future of hope, life and security in their own homelands. Do not snatch away life, property and ownership of indigenous people.
Margaret Gangte
Director(Policy Analysis & Policy)
Ministry of Tribal Affairs
Government of India.