Nicobar project will not disturb or displace tribes: Environment Minister Bhupendra Yadav
- August 25, 2024
- Posted by: OptimizeIAS Team
- Category: DPN Topics
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Nicobar project will not disturb or displace tribes: Environment Minister Bhupendra Yadav
Sub: Env
Sec: Protected Areas
Development Impact on Indigenous Tribes:
- The Environment Minister, Bhupendra Yadav, assured that the development of a port and airport in the Nicobar Islands as part of the ₹72,000-crore Great Nicobar Project would not disturb or displace the Shompen tribe, a vulnerable indigenous group.
Strategic and Economic Justifications:
- The project aims to counter China’s regional influence, prevent marine resource theft by Myanmarese poachers, bridge infrastructure gaps, and promote international trade.
Great Nicobar is home to:
- Two national parks (Galathea Bay and Campbell Bay NPs),
- A biosphere reserve (Great Nicobar BR), and
- The Shompen and Nicobarese tribal peoples, and
- Ex-servicemen from Punjab, Maharashtra, and Andhra Pradesh who were settled on the island in the 1970s.
About the Great Nicobar Development Project:
- 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 of 166.1 sq km along the island’s southeastern and southern coasts have been identified for the 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.
Project Implementation Timeline:
- Development activities are proposed to commence in the financial year 2022-23, and the port is expected to be commissioned by 2027-28.
- The project is to be implemented in 3 phases over the next 30 years.
- More than 1 lakh new direct jobs and 1.5 lakh indirect jobs are likely to be created on the island over the period of development.
Source: TH