What do we know about ANIIDCO?
- September 5, 2024
- Posted by: OptimizeIAS Team
- Category: DPN Topics
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What do we know about ANIIDCO?
Sub: Env
Sec: Protected Areas
About ANIIDCO:
- Founded: June 28, 1988
- Base: Port Blair
- Type: Quasi-government entity
- Main goal: Commercial exploitation of natural resources for balanced, eco-friendly development
- Key activities: 1) Trading petroleum products, liquor, and milk, 2) Managing tourism resorts, 3) Developing tourism and fisheries infrastructure
- Financial performance (last 3 years): • Average turnover: ₹370 crore, • Average profit: ₹35 crore.
Concerns about ANIIDCO’s Involvement:
- Lack of experience with large-scale projects
- Limited resources
- The initial absence of environmental policies
- Great Nicobar’s sensitivity: • Biodiversity hotspot • Home to Indigenous communities • Located in a tectonically active zone
- Conflicts of Interest:
- Conservation Action Trust filed petition against forest clearance
- ANIIDCO’s managing director also served as Commissioner cum Secretary (Environment and Forests)
- ANIIDCO’s chairman (islands’ Chief Secretary) part of committee investigating project complaints
- Many ANIIDCO employees involved in environmental and tribal welfare roles
The Great Nicobar Project (GNP):
- Aims to enhance India’s maritime and strategic presence in the Indian Ocean
- Proponent: Andaman and Nicobar Islands Integrated Development Corporation (ANIIDCO)
- Location: Great Nicobar (southernmost island in the Andaman and Nicobar archipelago)
- Cost: ₹72,000 crore
- Promoter: NITI Aayog
- Components: Trans-shipment port, Greenfield airport, Tourism and township project, Solar and gas-based power plant.
Nicobar Islands:
- Part of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands union territory of India
- Located in the eastern Indian Ocean
- Consists of 22 islands, with Great Nicobar being the largest
- Known for rich biodiversity and unique ecosystems
- Home to Indigenous tribes, including the Shompen and Nicobarese
- Tropical climate with dense forests and coral reefs
- Vulnerable to natural disasters, especially earthquakes and tsunamis
- Strategic location near major shipping routes
Environmental and Social Concerns:
- Deforestation of pristine rainforests
- Threat to endangered species and ecosystems
- Potential impact on Indigenous communities
- Risk of increasing vulnerability to natural disasters
- Concerns about the scale of development in a sensitive area