The Congress has called for the immediate suspension of all environment and forest clearances issued for the proposed “Holistic Development of Great Nicobar Island in Andaman & Nicobar Islands”. They argue that the project poses a significant threat to the region’s tribal communities and natural ecosystem.

In a statement issued Congress General Secretary (Communications) and Member of Parliament, Jairam Ramesh, highlighted several concerns regarding the proposed ₹72,000 crore “Mega Infra Project” in Great Nicobar Island.

The project, initiated in March 2021 under the direction of NITI Aayog, has raised numerous red flags according to Ramesh. He called for the immediate suspension of all clearances granted for the project and advocated for an impartial review to be conducted, including by parliamentary committees.

According to official documents, the Union environment ministry granted an “in principle” clearance in 2022 for diverting 13,075 hectares of forest land on Great Nicobar Island. This area represents approximately 15% of the island’s total land mass and is one of the largest forest diversions in India’s nationally and globally significant rainforest ecosystem.

Former Union environment minister Jairam Ramesh raised concerns over this decision, pointing out that compensatory afforestation measures are planned in Haryana, thousands of kilometres away, and in a vastly different ecological zone.

Ramesh, in his statement, highlighted additional environmental risks associated with the proposed project. He noted that the coastline where the port and infrastructure development are planned is located in an earthquake-prone zone.

He cited historical evidence, such as the permanent subsidence of approximately 15 feet during the tsunami of December 2004, to underscore the vulnerability of the area to natural disasters.

According to Jairam Ramesh, a senior Congress leader and former Union environment minister, the proposed “Holistic Development of Great Nicobar Island” poses significant risks to both investment and ecology, as well as to the local indigenous community, the Shompen.

Ramesh expressed concerns that the project's scale and location in Great Nicobar Island could potentially endanger infrastructure, people, and the fragile ecosystem of the region. He criticised what he described as a rushed approval process by the administration, alleging compromises on due diligence.

Ramesh highlighted that the project directly threatens the well-being and survival of the Shompen tribe, recognised as a Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group (PVTG). He accused the authorities of violating the Forest Rights Act (2006), which designates the Shompen as the sole legally empowered entity responsible for protecting, preserving, regulating, and managing the tribal reserve.

In a report dated April 14, HT disclosed that the Tribal Council of Little and Great Nicobar withdrew the no-objection certificate (NOC) issued in August 2022. The withdrawal pertains to the diversion of approximately half of the tribal reserve land for the contentious Great Nicobar Township and other infrastructure projects.

According to an HT report dated November 28, 2022, officials from the environment ministry announced plans to compensate for the loss of forests in Great Nicobar Island by undertaking afforestation projects in Haryana's Aravalli region. This decision was part of the ministry's strategy to mitigate environmental impact amid the contentious Holistic Development of Great Nicobar Island project in the Bay of Bengal.

In 2023, the Constitutional Conduct Group, comprising nearly 100 former civil servants, voiced their opposition to the government's endorsement of the mega-infrastructure initiative in Great Nicobar. They conveyed their concerns in a letter addressed to President Droupadi Murmu, highlighting apprehensions about the project's potential implications on the island's ecosystem and Indigenous communities.

Officials from the Union Environment Ministry acknowledged receipt of the Congress's statement but refrained from an immediate response.

As per information available on the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change's (MoEFCC) Parivesh website, the terms of reference for the Holistic Development of Great Nicobar Island project were issued on May 25, 2021.

These included plans for an integrated development encompassing an International Container Transshipment Terminal (ICTT), a Greenfield International Airport, town and area development, and a 450 MVA gas and solar-based power plant. The ministry's expert appraisal committee subsequently recommended the proposal for environmental and coastal regulation zone clearance, subject to specific conditions, on August 23, 2022.

Environmentalists have accessed documents revealing that the environment ministry granted stage-I forest clearance (FC) to the Holistic Development of Great Nicobar Island project on October 27, 2022. This clearance permits the diversion of 130.75 square kilometres of forest land in Great Nicobar Island for the proposed development initiatives.

Image source: The Economic Times