India aims to unlock value of its far-flung islands

JIRKATANG, India

BOLLYWOOD music blares from a line of food stalls serving tourists outside the entrance to a thickly forested tribal reserve on India's far-flung Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

Beyond the barrier patrolled by police, a few hundreds members of the Jarawa tribe hunt the lush rainforest for turtles and pigs and shoot fish with bows and arrows, largely unseen and untouched by the outside world.

As Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government seeks to accelerate development on the islands to promote its military, trade and tourism, preserving the pristine environment and handful of unique tribes is likely to get harder.

"The islands are fragile, they are in a seismically active zone not far from Indonesia's Aceh coast," said Pankaj Sekhsaria of environmental group Kalpavriksh. "Above all, they are home to indigenous tribes. This is their land, their history. There are serious concerns about the impact of tourists . . . If history is any indication, interacti…