GS 3 – Environment & Ecology
Context
- A ₹72,000 crore mega-infrastructure project is being pushed on Great Nicobar Island, despite serious ecological, tribal, and legal concerns.
- The project risks becoming an environmental and humanitarian disaster.
Impact on Indigenous Tribes
- Nicobarese tribe:
- Their ancestral villages fall within the project site.
- Already displaced by the 2004 tsunami, this project would cause permanent displacement.
- Shompen tribe (PVTG):
- The Shompen Policy mandates prioritizing their welfare in large-scale projects.
- Instead, part of their tribal reserve has been denotified, forests destroyed, and influx of outsiders encouraged.
- Their social and economic existence faces extinction.
Governance & Legal Concerns
- Sidestepping statutory safeguards:
- Article 338A: National Commission for Scheduled Tribes (NCST) was not consulted.
- Tribal Council: Its objections were ignored; its initial NOC was later revoked citing undue pressure.
- Violation of laws:
- Social Impact Assessment (SIA): Omitted Nicobarese & Shompen as stakeholders – violating LARR Act, 2013.
- Forest Rights Act, 2006: Shompen not consulted despite being custodians of forests.
Environmental Concerns
- Deforestation:
- Govt. admits 8.5 lakh trees may be cut; independent estimates suggest 32–58 lakh trees.
- Compensatory Afforestation:
- Planned in Haryana, thousands of km away with a different ecology.
- Some of the afforestation land has been auctioned for mining → making it a mockery of the process.
- CRZ Violations:
- Project overlaps CRZ 1A areas (turtle nesting sites, coral reefs).
- Port construction prohibited here; NGT order ignored.
- Govt. used a High-Powered Committee (HPC) to reclassify land – report not made public.
Flaws in Biodiversity Assessment
- Nicobar long-tailed macaque: Concerns by primatologists ignored.
- Sea turtle nesting sites: Survey done in off-season.
- Dugong impact: Assessed using drones with limited capacity (only shallow waters).
- Allegations: Institutes conducted surveys under duress.
Seismic & Disaster Risks
- Region is seismically active:
- 2004 tsunami caused 15 ft permanent land subsidence.
- July 2025 earthquake (6.2 magnitude) reaffirmed risks.
- Locating massive infrastructure here risks lives, ecology, and investments.
Ethical & National Values
- Indigenous communities, already fragile, may pay the ultimate price.
- The project disregards intergenerational responsibility and India’s environmental commitments.
- Represents a betrayal of tribal rights, ecological balance, and constitutional safeguards.