Great Nicobar Project nonsensical: Jairam Ramesh
A day after the National Green Tribunal (NGT) issued a show-cause notice to the Haryana Government for e-auctioning the protected forest site earmarked for ‘Nicobar Swap’, the Congress has yet again called out the project. Taking to X, Congress general secretary (incharge communications) Jairam Ramesh said with the NGT’s latest order, it had been proved that not only was the Great Nicobar Project nonsensical but also the afforestation plan was likely to face challenges in Haryana.
The Union Environment Ministry has chosen the Haryana Aravalli area for compensatory afforestation after the felling of a forest in the Nicobar Islands for the project. The afforestation plan is being termed as 'Nicobar Swap' and is aimed at changing Haryana’s green fate. The State has declared 24,353 hectares of Aravalli forest as protected. However, the state went ahead to auction one-fourth of 506.33 acres of protected area in Mahendragarh for auctioning, leading to uproar.
“I have raised the issue of the arbitrary and illegal manner in which the Great Nicobar Mega Infra Project was rushed through in an exchange of letters with the Minister for Environment, Forests, and Climate Change Bhupender Yadav. One of the issues raised was that the compensatory afforestation for the large-scale diversion of forest land in Great Nicobar was being planned in distant Haryana. It made zero ecological sense, given the climatic differences, and since old growth vegetation plays a unique role in protecting biodiversity. Compensatory afforestation is not a substitute for loss of natural forests. It is done to assuage a guilty conscience. The latest orders have yet again brought the future of this ambitious afforestation under the scanner,” said Jairam.
The Tribune had reported that the NGT has issued a show-cause notice to the Haryana Government and the Union Ministry of Environment for allegedly allowing mining on 'protected' forest area in the Aravallis.
The tribunal also directed the government to ensure no mining or stone crushing-related activity was carried out in the area till August 7.
An NGT Bench headed by chairperson Justice Prakash Shrivastava issued the notice on a plea filed by residents of Rajawas, a village located in the Aravallis in Mahendragarh district. The Bench has asked the petitioners to explain within four weeks how 25 per cent of the protected forest land was auctioned to stone-crushing units.
