Port Blair, June 17: A tour programme of the field visit of the OBC Commission to Shoal Bay village in South Andaman District on 14.6.2012 where the Indo-Burma Tamil Settlers have been settled, was drawn up well in advance to assess their Socio-economic condition on the spot and circulated to all concerned. It may be noted that they have claimed for OBC status being settlers settled under the colonization/ rehabilitation scheme of the GOI/ A & N Administration and the OBC Commission has taken up their claim for OBC status.
Accordingly the OBC Commission comprising Chairperson, Mr. Justice Raghunath Ray, two members namely – Mrs. Ratna Kanan and Shri M.A. Mujtaba along with a few officials visited Shoal Bay-12 (Community Hall) where all the elected Members including Pradhan and Panchayat Samiti Members and quite a good number of settlers had gathered. Immediately on arrival of the Commission, proceedings began “by recording statements of some elderly persons particularly those who were original settlers brought from Burma and settled in Shoal Bay village way back in 1950.
Then there were interactions of the Commission with 8 elected Panchayat members including Pradhan and the lone Panchayat Samiti member one by one to ascertain the cause of the social, educational & economic backwardness of the settlers. Proceedings lasted about three hours. On its way back to Port Blair the commission visited the individual dwellings of three settlers to have knowledge of their living condition. The commission returned to Port Blair in the evening same day.
