'Unacceptable': Cong flays 'forced'acquisition of tribals' lands in Great Nicobar

New Delhi, Jan 24 (IANS) The Congress on Saturday voiced concern over media reports that tribals were being pressured by the district administration to surrender their “ancestral lands” for the Rs 92,000 crore Great Nicobar island project.

Former environment minister Jairam Ramesh called the reported development “an ecological disaster”.

“This is unacceptable and shows how the Great Nicobar project is being bulldozed through. It is an ecological disaster,” said Ramesh, General Secretary in-charge Communication of the Congress, in a social media message.

Attaching a copy of the news report alleging pressure on tribals to surrender their lands, the Congress MP said, “Yet another example of how the ecologically disastrous Great Nicobar project is being bulldozed through.”

“Petitions are also being heard in the Calcutta High Court and the National Green Tribunal. Professionals have voiced their concerns. But nothing is making a difference to an indifferent Modi Govt,” said Ramesh.

His allegations come at a time when the Union Environment Ministry dismissed allegations of environmental threat from the project.

According to 2024 records related to the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, the decision on the proposal involving development of Great Nicobar Island project was taken after due consideration of potential environmental impacts on island ecology and taking into account the significant strategic, defence and national importance of the developmental projects.

As per EIA notification, 2006, as amended from time to time, prior environmental clearance is required for all new projects and/or activities or modernization of existing projects or activities as listed in the schedule to the Notification, 2006.

The process of prior Environmental Clearance involves an examination of the project for assessment of impacts and preparation of an Environmental Management Plan through different stages such as screening, scoping, public consultation, and appraisal, said an official statement by the Ministry.

Several studies were conducted to carry out the environmental impact assessment and studies regarding their consequent mitigation measures were undertaken by the top statutory and non-statutory bodies like Zoological Survey of India (ZSI), Salim Ali Centre for Ornithology and Natural History (SACON), the Wildlife Institute of India (WII), Indian Institute for Science (IISc) as a part of the preparation of EIA/EMP report, it said.

Independent organisation with specialised skills such as Indian Institutes of Technology (IIT), National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT), National Centre for Coastal Research(NCCR), National Institute of Oceanography (NIO), etc. were also involved during the appraisal process, it said.

A detailed scrutiny of the EIA/EMP report took place during the appraisal of the project by an independent Expert Appraisal Committee (EAC) having experts from the field of science and engineering. The Environmental Clearance accorded contains as many as 42 specific conditions dealing with each component of the project for the safeguard of marine and terrestrial biodiversity, said the Ministry.

Further, three independent Monitoring Committees to oversee the implementation of the Environmental Management Plan is also prescribed in the Environmental Clearance letter namely - Committee to oversee pollution related matters; Committee to oversee biodiversity related matters and Committee to oversee welfare and issues related to Shompen and Nicobarese.

Further, also a High-Power Committee (HPC) was constituted by the Ministry of Environment Forest and Climate Change pursuant to the order of the NGT dated April 3, 2023.