Context: The Centre’s ambitious Rs 72,000­ crore Great Nicobar Project aims to develop infrastructure on the Great Nicobar Island, including a transshipment port, international airport, township, and a gas- and solar-based power plant. However, concerns have been raised about the potential impact on the island’s evergreen tropical forests and diverse flora and fauna.

• The project aims to build a transshipment port, an international airport, a township, and a 450 MVA gas and solar-based power plant.

Great Nicobar Island

• Great Nicobar Island (GNI) is the southernmost of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands in the Bay of Bengal and is located north of Sumatra island of Indonesia.

• Indira Point, earlier known as Pygmalion Point, lies at the tip of the Great Nicobar Island and is the southernmost point of India.

• The island has several rivers, including the Alexandra, Amrit Kaur, Dogmar and Galathea.

• Mount Thuillier is the highest point on the Island.

• INS Baaz, located near Campbell Bay on the island, is a naval air station under the joint-services Andaman and Nicobar Command (ANC) of the Indian Armed Forces.

Great Nicobar Development Plan

• Timeline: In 2022, the central government granted environmental clearance for the project which will be implemented in phases over the next 30 years.

• Bodies: The project is being spearheaded by Andaman and Nicobar Islands Integrated Development Corporation (ANIIDCO), under a vision plan conceived by the NITI Aayog.

• Estimated Cost: Rs 72,000 crore.

Environmental Clearance and Challenge

• The Great Nicobar Project, spanning over 130 square km of pristine forest, received environmental clearance from an expert committee.

• However, the clearance decision was challenged in the National Green Tribunal (NGT).

• The NGT subsequently formed an expert committee in April 2023 to investigate aspects of the clearance.

Project’s Strategic Importance and Lack of Public Information

• Normally, details of projects undergoing environmental clearance are made available on a public portal maintained by the Environment Ministry.

• Surprisingly, details of the Great Nicobar Project have not been disclosed, following instructions from the Union Home Ministry, which classifies the project as “strategically important.”

Ecological Impact

• The Great Nicobar Island is known for its evergreen tropical forests with rich biological diversity.

• The island is home to almost 650 species of flora and 330 species of fauna.

• The proposed tree felling for development in the project area would impact this unique ecosystem.

Tree Felling Plan and Compensatory Afforestation

• Minister clarified that the estimated number of trees to be felled in the earmarked forest area is 9.64 lakh.

• Approximately 15% of the development area will be preserved as green and open spaces, potentially reducing the number of trees to be cut.

• The tree felling will be carried out in phases.

• In order to offset the loss of trees, compensatory afforestation will be carried out in Haryana, as the opportunity for planting trees in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands is restricted.

Major Concerns Raised

Environmental & Ecological

• The island was declared a biosphere reserve in 1989 and included in the UNESCO’s Man and Biosphere Programme in 2013. The project will lead to the diversion of 15 percent of its forest area and the feeling of 9.64 lakh trees in phases.

• The island is home to many endemic species of plants and animals which will be threatened. 

• For loss of mangrove cover, the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) report argues that compensatory afforestation to be carried out in Haryana and Madhya Pradesh. But far-field afforestation, that too in areas that have no ecological comparison, makes no sense.

• The project will end up destroying vast stretches of coral reefs. The EIA report recommends ‘translocation’ of these organisms. But transplanted corals do not have a high survival rate.

Geological

• The area is prone to severe natural disasters. The Island lies in close proximity to the Ring of Fire and to the epicentre of the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake which displaced the sea floor by 10-20m vertically.

Regarding Tribals

• The Great Nicobar Island has a population of about 8,000. Once completed, the project is expected to attract more than 3 lakh people, which is equal to the current population of the entire 1,000-km-long island chain.

• This project will run counter to the rights of indigenous vulnerable tribal communities, such as the Nicobarese and Shompen.

• More than three-fourth of the island is designated as a tribal reserve under The Andaman and Nicobar Islands (Protection of Aboriginal Tribes) Amendment Regulation, 1956. This means that the land is meant for exclusive use of the community and others cannot access the area without their express permission.

Concluding Remarks

• Growth in terms of GDP should be reconsidered if it ends up in the irretrievable loss of natural capital.

• The Great Nicobar Project moves forward, the delicate balance between development and ecological preservation will be closely monitored. 

• The government’s assurances regarding biodiversity conservation and compensatory afforestation will be under scrutiny, as stakeholders and environmentalists keep a vigilant eye on the project’s implementation.