outcry-over-rs-72-000-cr-great-nicobar-project

The "mega infrastructure project" planned for Great Nicobar has stirred controversy among environmentalists and the political opposition. The Congress party has criticised the government, arguing that the project poses a serious threat to the island's tribal communities.

 

Expressing concerns about the proposed project, Congress general secretary and former Union environment minister Jairam Ramesh has called for an immediate suspension of all clearances granted to the Rs 72,000-crore project. He has also advocated for an impartial review, including examination by the relevant parliamentary committees.

 

"The Union government's proposed Rs 72,000-crore 'Mega Infra Project' in Great Nicobar Island is a grave threat to Great Nicobar Island's tribal communities and natural ecosystem. The project, initiated in March 2021 at the instance of the NITI Aayog, shows numerous red flags," Ramesh said in a statement, which he also posted on X.

 

"The Congress demands an immediate suspension of all clearances and conduct of a thorough, impartial review of the proposed project, including by the parliamentary committees concerned," he said.

 

#UncontactedTribesWeek “Don’t destroy the Shompen”

Take action today 👉 Comment on India’s Ministry of Tribal Affairs’ @TribalAffairsIn posts and say no to the Great Nicobar Development Project which will destroy the uncontacted #Shompen people if it goes ahead! ❌ pic.twitter.com/JfLVjI4Gca

— Survival International (@Survival) June 20, 2024

 

He claimed that the Environment, Forests and Climate Change ministry had given an "in-principle" clearance for diverting 13,075 hectares of forest land.

 

"This area is about 15 per cent of the island's land mass and constitutes one of the country's largest forest diversions in a nationally and globally unique rainforest ecosystem," the Congress leader said.

 

Ramesh claimed that a compensatory afforestation for the loss of this unique rainforest ecosystem has been planned in the state of Haryana, thousands of kilometres away and in a vastly different ecological zone.

 

#UncontactedTribesWeek “Don’t destroy the Shompen”

Take action today 👉 Comment on India’s Ministry of Tribal Affairs’ @TribalAffairsIn posts and say no to the Great Nicobar Development Project which will destroy the uncontacted #Shompen people if it goes ahead! ❌ pic.twitter.com/JfLVjI4Gca

— Survival International (@Survival) June 20, 2024

 

He mentioned that the area along the coast, where the port and the project are planned to be established, is prone to earthquakes and experienced a permanent sinking of about 15 feet during the tsunami in December 2004.“Locating such a massive project here puts investment, infrastructure, people, and the ecology in harm's way,” he said.

 

The Great Nicobar is home to the ‘Shompen’ tribe, an indigenous community classified as a particularly vulnerable tribal group (PVTG). Thirty-nine experts from across the world have warned the administration that the project poses the threat of genocide to the Shompen.

 

Ramesh alleged that the “administration has compromised on due process in its rush to get approval -- The administration did not adequately consult the Tribal Council of the Islands, as is legally required. The Tribal Council of Great Nicobar Island has, in fact, expressed objections to the project, claiming that authorities had earlier 'rushed them' into signing a 'No Objection' letter based on misleading information -- and that the No Objection letter has since been revoked.”

 

The island's Shompen Policy, as notified by the Union tribal affairs ministry, has been allegedly overlooked by the administration, according to the Congress leader. This policy requires authorities to give priority to the welfare of the tribe when considering "large-scale development proposals."

 

The administration is also accused of not fulfilling the legally mandated consultation with the Scheduled Tribes Commission, as required by Article 338 (9) of the Constitution.

 

It is claimed that the project violates the letter and spirit of the Forest Rights Act of 2006, which designates the Shompen as the sole legally empowered authority to protect, preserve, regulate, and manage the tribal reserve.

 

Great Nicobar, the largest of the Nicobar Islands, is situated in the southeastern Bay of Bengal and is sparsely inhabited, covering an area of 910 square kilometres, mostly consisting of tropical rainforest. 

 

Indira Point, located on the island, marks India's southernmost point and is only 90 nautical miles (less than 170 km) away from Sabang, the northern tip of Sumatra, which is the largest island of the Indonesian archipelago.

 

Two national parks and a biosphere reserve are located on Great Nicobar, which is home to small populations of the Shompen and Nicobarese tribal peoples, as well as a few thousand non-tribal settlers.

 

The Andaman and Nicobar Islands consist of 836 islands, divided into two groups — the Andaman Islands to the north and the Nicobar Islands to the south — by the 150-km wide Ten Degree Channel.