Great Nicobar Project: Congress Flags Ecological And Tribal Concerns

The Congress party on Sunday escalated its opposition to the Great Nicobar Island Development Project, demanding a formal debate in a parliamentary forum over concerns regarding environmental destruction, tribal rights, and lack of transparency. The party alleged that the Union government is in "damage control mode" following a recent visit to the island by the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi.

In a detailed four-page statement, Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh claimed that a recent government press note, issued on May 1, failed to address the substantive objections raised by local communities and experts. According to PTI, Gandhi had previously described the project during his April 28 visit as "one of the biggest scams and gravest crimes against the natural and tribal heritage of the country."

Ramesh, a former environment minister, argued that the Great Nicobar ecosystem is unique and cannot be compared to other islands in the archipelago. He challenged the government’s assertion that the project uses only 1.82 per cent of the island group's land, calling the statistic "irrelevant and misleading" as it ignores the specific biological richness of the site.

He further noted that Galathea Bay, the designated site for the port, is unequivocally a Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) where construction is prohibited. According to records from the Zoological Survey of India (ZSI), the bay contains more than 20,000 coral colonies and serves as the most important nesting site for the Giant Leatherback turtle in the Northern Indian Ocean. Reported PTI, Ramesh alleged that institutions like the ZSI and the Wildlife Institute of India (WII) were "coerced" into facilitating the environmental clearance and have since been awarded research projects, creating a clear conflict of interest.

The Congress leader also flagged significant concerns regarding the Nicobarese and the Shompen, a Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group (PVTG). He pointed out that the Nicobarese community withdrew their No Objection Certificate (NoC) for forest diversion in November 2022, claiming they were pressured into signing. Regarding the Shompen, who are primarily uncontacted, Ramesh questioned how "informed consent" could have been obtained when there are no non-Shompen speakers of their language.

The opposition further questioned the project’s transparency and scale. Ramesh highlighted that the deliberations of the Forest Advisory Committee and reports from the High-Powered Committee remain confidential. He also questioned the government’s claim that the new airport would eventually handle 10 million passengers annually, noting that the current airport at Port Blair handles only 1.8 million.

On the matter of national security, Ramesh cited former Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Arun Prakash (Retd), who has argued that the security capabilities of the Andaman and Nicobar Command should be addressed separately from commercial developments. PTI reported that Ramesh accused the government of muzzling debate by hiding behind "security considerations" to push through a project involving a township and tourist infrastructure.

The government maintains that the Great Nicobar Project is a "strategic initiative" designed to balance port-led growth with "calibrated environmental safeguards," asserting that the protection of indigenous communities remains central to its planning.

(With inputs from PTI)