Nearly 13,075 hectares of forest land is proposed to be diverted for the project
Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi has written to Tribal Affairs Minister Jual Oram, drawing attention to concerns raised by the Tribal Council of Little and Great Nicobar about alleged violations of the Forest Rights Act (FRA) in the clearances granted for the ₹72,000-crore Great Nicobar Island infrastructure project, according to a report by The Hindu.
The project involves the development of a transhipment port, an airport, a power plant and a township. Nearly 13,075 hectares of forest land are proposed to be diverted. Local tribespeople have raised concerns about the impact on their communities, including the Shompen and Nicobarese.
Dispute over consent
In August 2022, the Andaman and Nicobar Islands administration certified to the Centre that FRA procedures had been completed and that forest land diversion had been approved. The Tribal Council disputes this, saying no FRA processes were ever initiated.
The Council also says the Gram Sabha meeting that recorded tribal consent for the project did not include Nicobarese or Shompen representatives, and that they were instead substituted by a social welfare organisation under the administration.
The Council Ongoing complaints
The Council wrote to the Tribal Affairs Minister last year but has yet to receive a formal response. Earlier this year, Oram had stated that the issues were being examined.
Council members have said they became aware only this year of the 2022 certificate signed by the Deputy Commissioner of Nicobar, which claimed FRA compliance. They argue that monthly reports to the Ministry itself show that FRA has not been implemented on the islands, as the administration has maintained that forests are already protected under the Protection of Aboriginal Tribes Act of 1956.
The 1956 law allows the Islands’ administrator to de-reserve forest land, while the FRA requires the consent of local communities for diversion. The National Commission for Scheduled Tribes has also raised concerns about the clearances, and the Calcutta High Court is hearing a petition challenging the approvals.
Courtesy : ET Infra
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