New Delhi
Maintaining that it does not owe allegiance to any political party, the Concerned Citizens Groups (CCG), comprising a number of senior, retired civil servants, has written an open letter to the National Commission for Scheduled Tribes (NCST) stating that the Centre’s proposed mega project on the island of Great Nicobar will have a serious impact on the Shompen, a Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group (PVTG), and the southern Great Nicobarese, a Scheduled Tribe.
“On 27 Jan 2023, we had written an open letter to the President of India on the proposed port and container terminal on the island of Great Nicobar that will virtually destroy the unique ecology of this island and the habitat of vulnerable tribal groups.
“But neither our letter, nor the very many others written by other individuals and groups, about the flaws in the environment and forest clearances, seem to have had any effect in making the Government of India re-examine the project. It is only very recently that the National Green Tribunal has ordered a closer look at some of the environmental issues raised.
“We write today, not about the environmental and ecological destruction that the project is likely to wreak, but about the fate of the two groups of tribal people that the island of Great Nicobar harbours, viz., the Shompen, a Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group who stand to lose much of their traditional forest foraging grounds, and the southern Great Nicobarese, a Scheduled Tribe, who have already been badly affected by the tsunami of 2004, having had to move out from their ancestral villages and be resettled closer to the administrative hub of the island. The project will be extremely detrimental to both these groups: hence, this letter to you,” the CCG stated.
An international container transhipment terminal, a military-civil, dual-use airport, a gas, diesel and solar-based power plant and a township are all part of the Centre’s Great Nicobar project, to be set up on 16,610 hectares.
Launching a probe and maintaining that the project was being undertaken without “prior consultation” with it, the NCST had on April 20 issued a notice to the Andaman and Nicobar administration, asking it to submit facts and an action-taken report on the allegations it received within 15 days of the receipt of the communication.
The NCST stated that it had received a representation on January 1 from a resident of Andhra Pradesh, who alleged that the mega infrastructure project in the Great Nicobar Island would be “violative of the constitutional mandate and would adversely impact the lives of the local tribals”.
“The Commission has decided to investigate/inquire into the matter in pursuance of the powers conferred upon it under Article 338A of the Constitution of India. You are hereby requested to submit the facts and information on the action taken on the allegations/matters within 15 days of the receipt of this notice,” the NCST notice read.
This letter was sent on a complaint made by Dr. EAS Sarma, a former Secretary in the Union Finance Ministry, and an expert on tribal matters, the CCG said adding we would like to add our voice to that of Dr Sarma and of the many others who have expressed their concerns.
The National Green Tribunal (NGT) too recently formed a high-powered committee to re-examine the environmental clearance granted to the Andaman and Nicobar Islands Integrated Development Corporation (ANIIDCO) for the multi-component mega project.
The NGT had, on April 7, said there was a need for adequate studies on the project’s adverse impact on coral reefs, mangroves, turtle-nesting sites, bird-nesting sites, other wildlife, and erosion, disaster management and other conservation and mitigation measures.
Besides, an Island Coastal Regulation Zone (ICRZ) notification of 2019 had to be complied with and tribal rights and rehabilitation had to be ensured, it had said.
The NCST said it would issue a summons for the personal appearance of representatives of the Andaman and Nicobar Island administration if it failed to respond to the notice within the stipulated time.
In a reply in the Rajya Sabha, the Ministry of Tribal Affairs had in March this year stated that a total of 7.114 sq. km. of tribal reserve area will be utilised for the project.
The Tribal Affairs Ministry, however, said the utilisation of the tribal reserve area will be subject to the following conditions: “The interests of tribal population especially Shompen, a Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group are not affected adversely; Strict implementation of the provisions of Protection of Aborigine Tribe (PAT) Regulation to protect the interest of the Shompen; The displacement of tribals will not be allowed; and Eco-tourism will be regulated in effective manner.”
It said that the Lieutenant Governor of Andaman and Nicobar Islands had already constituted an Empowered Committee to obtain views and consultations on the impact of the project. This committee consists of concerned government departments, anthropologists and experts, the Ministry said.
The Expert Appraisal Committee of the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change had in its 306th meeting held in August 2022, “decided that the project activities shall not disturb Shompen tribe and their habitation”, it added.
