Plan to develop Lakshadweep like Maldives to benefit people: Collector

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Lakshadweep Collector S Asker Ali on Friday defended the laws imposed by Administrator Praful Khoda Patel and said that these administrative decisions will help the union territory to develop like Maldives thereby benefiting local residents. While speaking to media persons on Thursday, Ali said that the Island Management Plan regarding island development but had been notified in 2017 there was no part for implementation. "To start proper development in Lakshadweep, we want to do it holistically as these islands are exotic. Our plan is for the welfare of local residents and Lakshadweep's development. We want to develop Lakshadweep like Maldives if not better," he said.

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He added, "After 75 years of Independence, development didn't commensurate with its potential. Why didn't Lakshadweep become the Maldives of India?" Over the last week, several leaders have called for a new administrator in the Lakshadweep islands, including Lakshadweep MP and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Mohammed Faizal. Faizal accused Patel of implementing anti-people rules and regulations and urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah to 'listen to the outcry of the local people and send in a new Administrator'. Youth Congress Kerala President and Congress MLA Shafi Parambil even wrote to the Chief Minister of Kerala, Opposition Leader and the Speaker of the Kerala Legislative Assembly requesting to pass a resolution "as a solidarity of the Malayalee community to the struggle of the people of Lakshadweep" against the new authoritarian decisions taken by the current Administrator of Lakshadweep Praful Patel.

In the letter, Shafi said, " I request to unanimously pass a resolution as a solidarity of the Malayalee community to the struggle of the people of Lakshadweep against the Sangh Parivar agenda being implemented under the administrative rule of the Central Government without showing any democratic decency." Congress had written to President Ram Nath Kovind alleging that the current Administrator of Lakshadweep Praful Patel had taken "authoritarian measures" and demanded his recall.

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