Stranded in Kochi

Seventy five-year-old Akram Hussain (name changed) had arrived in Kochi from Lakshadweep for an ortho surgery almost a month ago. He hasn't been able to go back to his island since then. As there are only two ships plying between Kochi and Lakshadweep, he's been finding it difficult to get even a medical emergency seat.

He applied to be airlifted, but his request was denied citing he was wheelchair-bound. Today, he lies in a general hospital in Kochi, waiting to go back home. He has lost most of his money. His two attenders and he try to save whatever they have left by sharing a meal meant for one.

There are at least 1,500 people from Lakshadweep stranded in Kochi, unable to go back to their island due to the lack of ships. Abdul, a prominent businessman from the island is one among them. He explains, "We have only two ships operating now. One ship has a carrying capacity of 250 called MV Arabian Sea. The other ship has a carrying capacity of 400 called MV Corals. These ships are not at all sufficient to carry the islanders. Now the 250-capacity ship is carrying more than 500 to 800 passengers from the island to Kochi. But it is not possible to go back from Kochi to the island because CISF personnel will not allow any additional passenger to board the ship."

The AIR India flights operating between Kochi and Agatti are full. People have been standing in queues for more than 3-4 nights, waiting to buy a ticket as soon as the schedules for their respective islands are updated. Abdul says that all sections of society are affected, even the very rich as no amount of money can get them a seat.

The only way to rectify the situation, according to Abdul, is to make the other seven ships operational. However, that might be a challenge as the ships are now handed over to the Shipping Corporation of India. "Earlier, it was operated by the Lakshadweep Development Corporation. Now, except for MV Coral, all the ships are given to the Shipping Corporation of India by the administrator. The sad thing is now the Shipping Corporation of India itself is going to be sold by the government."

"Due to this, we are also facing a severe medicine shortage on the island. Even insulin is no longer available in pharmacies for diabetic patients. The administration is not bothered to get the medicines to the island. They don't care if people live or die. They just want to develop bigger resorts, and bigger lagoons. We have three helicopters meant for airlifting, but it is being used only by VIPs to travel between the islands."

Like most other residents, Abdul feels that ever since Praful Patel became the administrator of the island in 2020, things have been going haywire. "We have a hospital called Rajiv Gandhi Super Speciality Hospital in Agatti, one of the islands. It was run by the Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences for five years, after which Ikra Hospital in Calicut took over the administration followed by Daya Hospital in Thrissur. That's how it has been functioning for years. The manning of the hospital is done by the hospital while the equipment, medicines, and all other facilities are provided by the administration. This was running smoothly till 2018. Then COVID happened and then the administration changed.

The public was totally against the new administrator because he introduced a lot of anti-Lakshadweep regulations like land amendment bills. He also started reducing the manpower of the hospital. The number of doctors is now reduced to somewhere around 10-18. Many of the other staff are also disengaged. These doctors which are now posted are junior doctors and are not able to handle any emergency situation.

We have ten islands, the biggest is Andrott which does not have any hospital. Kavaratti has one hospital. Agathi has the biggest hospital, but it is dead now. We can rectify the situation. Instead of letting the administration run the hospital, we should let some bigger medical organisations like AIIMS take over the administration of the hospital.”

The current administration has been widely criticised for prioritising so-called 'development' over the rights of the islanders.

Abdul gives an example. "We have a 700-passenger capacity ship, which is the biggest ship here called MV Kavaratti. This ship is the flagship of Lakshadweep, it was made in Vizag. Last December the ship caught fire in the engine room. The ship was being utilised for a tourist package operated by Lakshadweep tourism.

Around 100 families were earning their livelihood from that, but after the ship caught fire, the families lost their livelihood. The very next day, after the green signal from the administration, Mumbai's Cordelia cruises started operations here. But they weren't ready to use even a single service of the locals. They earned around Rs 46 crores in the last season, but what Lakshadweep administration is getting is only Rs 1,200 as the landing charge."

As many as three thousand government staff, including medical professionals have been fired on the orders of the administrator. Most are unable to find jobs as there are hardly any private companies on the island. Budgetary support to cooperative societies have been cut short. Ships have been reduced. Crores of rupees have been spent on studies claiming to analyse how the projects would help the island develop. But the concerns of the islanders continue to fall on deaf ears.