Explainer: All about the Great Nicobar Island project row

Conceived in 2021 by NITI Aayog, the Rs 81,000-crore Great Nicobar Island (GNI) infrastructure project has sparked controversy primarily over wildlife concerns and the displacement of tribals — the Shompen and the Nicobarese. Spread over 166 sq km, the project is proposed to be implemented by the Andaman and Nicobar Islands Integrated Development Corporation.

It involves construction of an international container transshipment terminal, township and area development, a 450 MVA gas and solar-based power plant, and a dual-use civilian and military airport. The plan of developing Nicobar islands as a tourist destination and giving a strategic opportunity to the Indian Navy to offer ship repair services was envisioned in 2021 as part of Maritime Vision 2030.

Threat to endemic species

The transshipment terminal is planned to be set up in Galathea Bay, a nesting site of the giant leatherback turtle. In 2021, the Standing Committee of the National Board for Wildlife denotified the Galathea Bay Wildlife Sanctuary and the Megapode Wildlife Sanctuary. Both megapode and giant leatherback turtles are endemic to Nicobar islands. In order to compensate for the loss of biodiversity, the Andaman and Nicobar (A&N) administration in May 2022 issued public notices to create three wildlife sanctuaries: Leatherback Turtle Sanctuary at Little Nicobar Island, Coral Sanctuary at Meroe Island and Megapode Sanctuary at Menchal Island.

Months later, the administration said it did not receive any objection. It declared that “no person has any rights within the limits of the sanctuaries”, and that there will be “restrictions” on entering the islands.

Tribal council opposes move

The Office of Tribal Council of Little and Great Nicobar shot off a letter expressing shock that the sanctuaries were notified without any consultation. “We have never been asked how these wildlife species continue to persist on our beaches and the outlying islands which we own and use as residential and plantation assets. Be it coral reefs, megapodes, saltwater crocodiles, or leatherback sea turtles, among so many other wildlife on our islands, we have coexisted long before the concept of a wildlife sanctuary was even conceived. We have traditional rights, laws maintained and enforced by our elders, and traditional practices due to which these species continue to persist and prosper on our islands,” the council said.

The beaches chosen to be designated as the Leatherback Sea Turtle Sanctuary belong to the villages of Bahua, Muhincoihn and Kiyang, along the west coast of Little Nicobar Island. “None of the residents who own all the land in those regions were consulted about the ways in which they protect their beaches and the species therein. It also appears that the administration is oblivious to the fact that not more than a pair or two of megapode birds exist on Menchal island which has been declared as a megapode sanctuary,” the tribal council said.

A total of 7.07 sq km of the proposed project falls under the Island Coastal Regulation Zone, which comprises ecologically-sensitive areas, including wildlife habitats, mangroves, coral reefs, and sand dunes.

Fate sealed, motives questioned

A High Powered Committee was formed in April 2023 on the orders of the NGT, seeking answers on the impact of the project. While the report was never made public, the panel concluded that no part of the project fell in out-of-bounds coastally-sensitive areas. The Environment Ministry in July submitted, in a sealed envelope, the report of the panel.

Former Environment Minister and Congress leader Jairam Ramesh claimed the project will disrupt and displace the tribal communities and threaten their survival and well-being. He alleged that scientists were asked to give favourable reports on the project. Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav, on the other hand, said the project was of strategic and national importance. He said the decision to develop Great Nicobar Island has been taken after due consideration of its ecological, social and strategic aspects.