 Summary of this article
- Rahul Gandhi called the project a “crime against nature and tribal heritage.”
- The plan includes a port, airport, township and power project on the island’s southern tip.
- Activists warn of large-scale forest loss and risks to the Shompen tribe and fragile ecosystems.
A vast infrastructure project is underway on Great Nicobar Island, an island known for its rainforest and indigenous communities..
When Rahul Gandhi arrived on Great Nicobar Island on Wednesday, walking through forests marked for clearance, he called what he saw “one of the biggest scams and gravest crimes against the natural and tribal heritage of the country.” His visit has pulled some attention to a project that has long moved forward.
Great Nicobar Islandhas one of the last intact tropical rainforests in India, a tribe of roughly 300 people who have never needed a government ID, and a ₹92,000 crore project set to transform both.
The Great Nicobar Development Project, a transshipment port, international airport, township and power plant on India’s southernmost tip, has been in the works for years. It has received environmental clearances, survived legal challenges at the National Green Tribunal (NGT), and been championed by the government as a geostrategic necessity, positioned to compete with Singapore and counter China’s growing influence in the Indian Ocean.
The Shompen tribe, aParticularly Vulnerable Tribal Group(PVTG), have lived in these forests since before recorded history. They communicate in a language that has not yet been fully deciphered.
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Social ecology researcher Manish Chandi, who has worked among the Andaman and Nicobar’s indigenous communities says, “We have met some families of Shompen living in Great Nicobar and none of them are interested in outsiders coming there and setting up shop or home or factories. The southernmost family of the Shompen live close to Indira Point, and their territory extends to the mouth of the Galathea Bay, which is exactly where the port is slated to be constructed. So you can imagine a completetransformation of their lives.”
When the government claimed that legal safeguards and constitutional provisions for tribal communities had been followed, Chandi asks: “Has the environment minister conducted an assessment? Has he ever talked to the Shompen or the Nicobarese about the problems they are facing and the other ground realities?”
Does Gandhi’s visit matter, or can it slow down a ₹92,000 crore project?
Outlook Explainer: Green Court Clearance And The Future Of Great Nicobar
BY Fozia Yasin |
