Modi govt in damage control mode after Rahul’s visit to Nicobar Island: Congress

E-PaperSubscribeSubscribeEnjoy unlimited accessSubscribe Now! Get features like The Congress on Sunday flagged concerns related to ecology, tribal rights, transparency and security, over the Great Nicobar Island mega-project, saying that the Centre’s recent press note on the project has raised more questions than it answered. Modi govt in damage control mode after Rahul’s visit to Nicobar Island: CongressThis comes days after Congress leader Rahul Gandhi visited the island on April 28, with party’s general secretary Jairam Ramesh saying the visit had brought “renewed urgency” to a project which was being “bulldozed through due process”, further accusing the government of going into “damage control mode”. “Galathea Bay hosts over 20,000 coral colonies and is a major nesting site for leatherback turtles, with nearly 1,000 nests recorded in the latest season alone. The government’s claim that only 1.82% of the island’s forest is affected is deeply misleading. The ecological uniqueness of this region means any diversion, however small, is significant and irreversible,” said Jairam Ramesh, adding that the note sidesteps serious objections raised by local communities, environmental experts, and civil society groups. “The Modi Government, clearly in damage control mode after the hugely impactful visit of the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi to Great Nicobar on April 28, issued a press note on the Great Nicobar Island Development Project three days later. This press note does not address any of the serious concerns that have been raised on it by local affected communities, environmentalists, anthropologists, academics, civil society experts and other professionals,” Ramesh said. He cited inconsistent government data on tree felling, with figures ranging between 711,000 and 964,000 trees, and flagged changes in coastal zoning at Galathea Bay. The Great Nicobar project envisages a transshipment port, an international airport and a township, with projections of handling 10 million passengers annually and supporting a resident population of 350,000, far exceeding Port Blair’s current capacity of 1.8 million passengers a year. The government has said the project includes compensatory afforestation across 97.30 sq km and complies with all environmental regulations. “The Great Nicobar Island Development Project is of immense strategic, defence and national importance and will place India at the centre of Indian Ocean commerce. All environmental safeguards have been scrupulously followed and the concerns being raised do not reflect the comprehensive planning that has gone into this project,” said a statement by the ministry of environment, forests and climate change. Experts and opposition leaders raised concerns on financial viability and transparency, noting the port must compete with established hubs such as Singapore and Colombo and lacks a strong hinterland. Tribal groups, including the Nicobarese and the Shompen, a Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group, have flagged issues around consent and land rights. The Great Nicobar project received environmental clearance in 2022 and has since drawn sustained opposition from scientists, environmentalists and tribal groups. Analysts say it requires wider scrutiny to balance development goals with ecological sustainability and community interests.