Cancel green nod given to Great Nicobar project: Cong.

Sub: Environment

Sec: Protected Area

About the Great Nicobar Development project

Project Area: 130 sq. km. of pristine forest
A “greenfield city” has been proposed, including
An International Container Transshipment Terminal (ICTT),
A greenfield international airport,
A power plant, and
A township for the personnel who will implement the project.
A total 166.1 sq km along the island’s southeastern and southern coasts have been identified for project along a coastal strip of width between 2 km and 4 km.
Some 130 sq km of forests have been sanctioned for diversion, and 9.64 lakh trees are likely to be felled.
The port will be controlled by the Indian Navy, while the airport will have dual military-civilian functions and will cater to tourism as well.
Roads, public transport, water supply and waste management facilities, and several hotels have been planned to cater to tourists.

Environmental and Legal Issues

Environmental Concerns:
- Potential destruction of pristine rainforest
- The project is located in an earthquake-prone zone
- Permanent subsidence during the 2004 tsunami
- Cutting down of 9.6 lakh trees, with compensatory afforestation planned in Haryana
Impact on Indigenous Tribes:
- Threat to the survival and well-being of the Shompen, a Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group (PVTG)
- Alleged violations of tribal rights and inadequate consultation with the Tribal Council

Legal and Administrative Actions

Environmental Clearance: Granted by an expert committee, despite concerns
National Green Tribunal (NGT):
- Legal challenge leading to the formation of an expert committee
- Investigation led by the Secretary of the Environment Ministry; results not yet public
Classified Project: Details withheld from the public portal by Ministry of Home Affairs, citing “strategic importance”

Great Nicobar:

Great Nicobar is the southernmost island of the Nicobar Islands Archipelago.
It covers 1,03,870 hectares of unique and threatened tropical evergreen forest ecosystems.
It is home to a very rich ecosystem, including 650 species of angiosperms, ferns, gymnosperms, and bryophytes, among others.
In terms of fauna, there are over 1800 species, some of which are endemic to this area.
Ecological Characteristics:
- The Great Nicobar Biosphere Reserve harbours a wide spectrum of ecosystems comprising tropical wet evergreen forests, mountain ranges reaching a height of 642 m (Mt. Thullier) above sea level, and coastal plains.
Tribe:
- The Mongoloid Shompen Tribe, about 200 in number, live in the forests of the biosphere reserve, particularly along the rivers and streams.
- They are hunters and food gatherers, dependent on forest and marine resources for sustenance.
- Another Mongoloid Tribe, Nicobarese, about 300 in number, used to live in settlements along the west coast.
- After the tsunami in 2004, which devastated their settlement on the western coast, they were relocated to Afra Bay in the North Coast and Campbell Bay.

Source: TH