India-Maldives Row: Dispute continues between India and Maldives. Amidst this controversy, when many people are raising the slogan on social media that ‘Leave Maldives, go to Lakshadweep’, then an MP from Lakshadweep has given a different statement. Speaking to media channel NDTV, Lakshadweep MP Mohammad Faizal has said that Lakshadweep does not have the capacity to handle a large number of tourists. During the conversation, he also said that currently we have very less number of hotels and there is also a huge shortage of direct flights. He said that even if the solution to these problems is found, the number of tourists coming here will have to be controlled keeping in mind the delicate ecosystem of the island.
Tourism should be arranged as per the report
During the conversation, he also said that Lakshadweep is made of coral which is very sensitive and ecologically very fragile. The Lakshadweep MP said that for this reason the Justice Raveendran Commission appointed by the Supreme Court had made a scheme ‘Integrated Island Management Plan’. Now MP Faisal says that Lakshadweep should be developed on the basis of the report of this commission only. He described the report as a “bible for development”, adding that the “widely accepted” plan also made recommendations regarding the “carrying capacity” of the islands and the number of tourists visiting them.
Lakshadweep has 36 islands, permission to live on only 10
The MP has further said that following the advice of the same commission, Lakshadweep is currently focusing on “high-level controlled tourism”. He also appealed to the coming people that they will have to agree that no such step will be taken by them which will harm the environment. He told that our policy right now is to generate maximum revenue through more controlled tourism. It should be known that at present there are 36 islands in Lakshadweep, out of which people are currently allowed to live on only 10. Currently, only 8-10 percent of the population of Lakshadweep is dependent on tourism.
How did the controversy start?
Be aware that due to the dispute with Maldives, many people on social media are now thinking of going to Lakshadweep. This whole controversy started when Prime Minister Narendra Modi came to visit Lakshadweep. He shared many photos of his visit and promoted visiting tourist areas of India. On this, some Deputy Ministers of Maldives trolled him and made some serious allegations, after which this whole controversy is going on. After this controversy, while on one hand many Indian actors, politicians and sportspersons came out in support of Lakshadweep, on the other hand, Boycott Maldives started trending on social media from the same day. Many people also canceled their trips.