No final forest nod for Great Nicobar project, govt tells RS

THe Stage-II, or last, timberland clearance for the ₹81,800 crore “Sustainable evolution of outstanding Nicobar Island” throw has not yet been granted, the Union environment ministry informed the Rajya Sabha.In a written reply dated February 12, minister of state for environment Kirti Vardhan Singh said the project has only received “in-principle approval” under the Van (Sanrakshan Evam Samvardhan) Adhiniyam, 1980, and the rules framed under it. “Only after receiving the Stage-II approval and final order for diversion of forest land for non-forestry use can project activities be initiated,” he said.Singh was responding to a series of questions raised by Shiv Sena MP Priyanka Chaturvedi. She sought details on whether the Nicobar Tribal Council had signed a “surrender certificate” on January 7, 2016, for the project; the basis for environmental clearances despite the council withdrawing its 2022 no objection certificate (NOC) citing “misleading information”, and whether mandatory consultation with the National Commission for Scheduled Tribes was bypassed. She also asked whether compelling Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups to surrender tsunami-affected villages violates the Forest Rights Act’s requirement of free, prior and informed consent, and sought accountability for clearances allegedly granted without genuine tribal consent.The Centre did not respond on the issue of tribal consent, citing pending court proceedings. According to the ministry, the matter is sub judice before the National Green Tribunal’s Eastern Zone Bench in Kolkata and the Calcutta High Court in multiple petitions.HT reported on January 23 that members of the Tribal Council of Great Nicobar said the Andaman and Nicobar administration had asked them to relinquish claims over villages where they lived before the 2004 tsunami — a request they were unwilling to accept as the old settlements form an integral part of their culture and heritage. In a meeting with reporters, including Hindustan Times, members referred to a January 7 meeting at the Andaman Public Works Department Guest House in Campbell Bay with UT administration officials, including those from the deputy commissioner’s office and the Andaman Adim Janjati Vikas Samiti (AAJVS), a registered society overseeing the welfare and protection of Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs).HT first reported on April 14, 2023 that the Tribal Council of Little and Great Nicobar withdrew the no-objection certificate (NOC) granted for diversion of land, roughly half of it tribal reserve, for the contentious Great Nicobar township and associated infrastructure projects.The project comprises four components: an international container transshipment terminal, an international airport, a power plant and a township, requiring 166.10 square kilometers of land. Of this, 130.75 sq km is forest land and 84.10 sq km is tribal land.The Nicobar Islands fall within the Sundaland Biodiversity Hotspot and host rich biodiversity, including hundreds of plant species and nearly 1,800 fauna species. Independent experts have raised concerns over potential ecological loss and impacts on indigenous communities such as the Shompen and Great Nicobarese.