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Indian Express
09-07-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
Projects in Great Nicobar Islands have strategic importance. The government, thus, must address transparency concerns
In the past five years, the government has taken steps to develop the Andaman and Nicobar Islands as a bulwark of security to the east of the country's peninsular area and as a crucial node for safeguarding India's interests in the Indo-Pacific. The project involves revamping airfields and jetties and building logistics and storage facilities, a base for military personnel, and a robust surveillance infrastructure. It also involves a massive infrastructure upgrade on Great Nicobar Island — an International Container Transshipment Terminal, a greenfield international airport, a township, and a gas and solar-based power plant spread. Given that the rapid enhancement of the capabilities of China's People's Liberation Army Navy has greatly increased the strategic importance of the Bay of Bengal in the past two decades, Delhi's infrastructure push and the building of a strong military deterrence at Great Nicobar hasn't come a day too late. However, the island's ecological sensitivity has made the challenge more complex. Civil society activists and wildlife conservationists have alleged that the infrastructure upgrade will harm the region's indigenous communities, including the largely uncontacted Shompen people, it will have negative spinoffs for coral reefs and marine systems and pose a threat to endangered species, including the terrestrial Nicobar megapode bird and leatherback turtles. In 2023, the National Green Tribunal (NGT) directed the Ministry of Environment to constitute a high-powered committee (HPC) to revisit the environmental clearances to the Great Nicobar project. On Monday, even as the ministry submitted the panel's report to an NGT bench, there was little indication that a resolution to the impasse was at hand. The HPC has reportedly concluded that the environmental clearances accorded to the project 'adhered to statutory provisions'. The government has, however, not made the panel's report public. Keeping information classified is, of course, necessary at times in matters involving strategic affairs. But in an ecologically fragile region with a vulnerable local population, a project to create a formidable maritime bastion requires engagement with all sections of society. The government's insistence on secrecy will do more harm than good, especially because the lack of transparency around due procedures was a major sticking point with civil society activists. The government has reportedly also wielded the RTI Act's provisions on security and strategic concerns to deny right to information requests about environmental clearances. In March, it used an equally unconvincing argument — the matter is sub judice — to evade a Rajya Sabha question on the red flags raised by the NGT and National Commission for Scheduled Tribes about the project's impact on local communities. Two months later, Union Minister of Tribal Affairs Jual Oram said that the government was examining the concerns raised by tribal communities, but again refused to divulge details. The Andaman and Nicobar Islands Integrated Development Corporation Limited, which is in charge of the infrastructure development activities, claims that its wildlife conservation plan (WCP) is derived from a framework developed by scientists at the Salim Ali Centre for Ornithology. But the WCP, too, is not in the public domain. Delhi has taken more than 70 years to recognise the strategic importance of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. It now needs to set the record right on transparency — a project of national importance cannot be clouded with misgivings.
Hindustan Times
08-07-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Officials in a fix on how to map uncontacted, secluded tribes in Andaman and Nicobar
The recent notification for the national census has left officials in the Union Territory of Andaman and Nicobar seeking answers to three questions: One, how to count the Sentinelese, given the administration's decision to stay at least 5km away from the North Sentinel island that is their home? People belonging to Great Nicobar's Shompen tribe in an undated photo.(Anthropological Survey of India) Two, how to count the Shompen of Great Nicobar, who live in near-unreachable corners of the island? And three, does it even make sense to insist on counting the number of Sentinelese and the Shompen? This is the first census being conducted after the Andaman and Nicobar administration's decision, in December 2014, to not go near the island or disturb the Sentinelese. The 2011 and 2001 census were based on extrapolated numbers after census officials sailed close to the shores of the island. Since 2014, they have not done that, not even to retrieve the bodies of at least four intruders killed by the islanders and buried on the beaches of the island in the last 11 years, according to A&N police officials. That includes an American missionary who tried to illegally reach the island and preach Christianity to the indigenous tribe. 'In December 2014, the administration decided to strictly follow an 'eyes-on and hands-off' policy. Until then the UT administration would regularly sail around the island, stay at a distance(where the arrows of the Sentinelese people could not reach them),' said a A&N government official who asked not to be named. 'Currently only the Indian Coast Guard (ICG) personnel keep an eye on the island from a distance to ensure that poachers or intruders do not go near it. We have to see how the census can be conducted,' he added. According to the 2011 census, the island is home to 15 people, 12 male and 3 female. The 2001 census put the number at 39, 21 male and 18 female. Unlike the union territory's other tribes such as Jarawas, Shompen, Onges, Nicobarese and Great Andamanese, who have been contacted through the autonomous tribal welfare body, Andaman Adim Janjati Vikas Samiti (AAJVS), the Sentinelese prefer their privacy on their 59.67sq km island. They hunt and they fish; little else is known about them. 'We have always respected their privacy. There was an incident of fire reported from the island in 2014, so a government team circumnavigated the island. But since then none have been near the island. There have been talks of using certain technology to map their population but it is not clear if this will give an accurate estimate or whether it is even ethical to conduct such an exercise,' said M Sasikumar, joint director of the Anthropological Society of India, who was part of the team that had circumnavigated the island in 2014. His reference is likely to speculation that drones could be used to count the Sentinelese, but the fallout of this on a tribal society could be significant (and catastrophic). Sasikumar said that till 1997, the government attempted friendly missions to the island. 'Teams landed on the shores and offered gifts such as coconuts to the islanders. But this too was stopped considering the dangers of infections that could be transmitted to the islanders.' But it may not even make sense to count the Sentinelese, said an expert. Protecting the islands 'I think trying to do a census of the Sentinelese is pointless. Even an extrapolation is only an extrapolation. It is much more important to protect the livelihood resources around the island like the reef, the sea resources and the island itself from external interference and incursion. The government has been trying to do that but can do so much better. Local fishermen still exploit marine resources for the export market such as lobsters and commercially important fish,' said Manish Chandi, former member of research advisory board, Andaman and Nicobar Tribal Research and Training Institute. The Shompen of Great Nicobar pose another challenge. Some populations of the Shompen in Great Nicobar remain uncontacted. 'The Shompen living very deep inside the forests on the west coast do not come this side (Campbell Bay). Only the Shompen from Laful (name of area) come to Campbell Bay sometimes for ration etc. They speak in their own dialect but they are approachable on some occasions. You have to trek very far through the forests to reach them and they do not like outsiders,' said Barnabas Manju, chairman of the Little and Great Nicobar Tribal Council. The 2011 census counted 229 Shompen people with 141 male against only 88 females. Sasikumar highlighted that it is important to track the risks facing the Shompen but admitted that the administration has not been able to reach all groups. 'It is a very difficult task to reach the Shompen. The East-West road collapsed after the Tsunami. You may reach 10 km inside but most Shompen groups may be beyond the 27th km. The Shompen are not a homogeneous group. The Shompen groups may fight or avoid each other. We do not know very well how they are doing. If you go by the previous Census data the male-female ratio is very worrying. The number of females is very low.' There are fears that the Great Nicobar Holistic Development Project could impact the Shompen and the forests they depend on. The Great Nicobar Holistic Development Project has four major components: an International Container Transshipment Terminal (ICCT); an international airport; a power plant; and a township. There is also a Trunk Infrastructure Road that will cut through Great Nicobar Island. The total cost is estimated at ₹81,800 crore. The Nicobar Islands fall in the Sundaland Biodiversity Hotspot and cover the western half of the Indonesian archipelago. 'Before mapping the population, it may be important to consider why you would do the census? There are policies and welfare schemes for the Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups but it is important to assess implementation. There is documentation of what the Shompen's views are on loss of forests and development projects, but what has been done with their views? It is also important to review how much money has been spent on the welfare schemes for them and for what?' said an anthropologist who has worked in the islands, asking not to be named.
Hindustan Times
19-06-2025
- Business
- Hindustan Times
‘Great Nicobar Trunk rd will spur jobs, but sacrifice trees'
New Delhi: The Trunk Infrastructure Road that will cut through Great Nicobar Island (GNI) and connect all villages on it, will lead to large scale employment, facilitate business and also make 'unconnected areas on the route prosper,' the draft social impact assessment (SIA) study for the project claimed. The draft, published on A&N administration's Directorate of Social Welfare website this week added that a large number of trees will need to be felled for the road and that tribal populations of Shompen and Nicobarese have agreed to land diversion for the road. 'As per the project report, there was no alternative location for the proposed Trunk Infrastructure Road Project which would involve less land acquisition,' the draft SIA said. 'The Trunk Infrastructure Road will link all villages in GNI , making movement of people and goods smoother. Better connectivity of all the villages will lay the foundation for large scale employment opportunities for the local people along with development of the area. It will facilitate business activities and will contribute towards all the villages and the hitherto internal and unconnected areas on the route to prosper. Moreover, the upcoming Green Field International Airport, International Container Transhipment Terminal (ICTT), Township Development, etc., will also require a proper road network for its proper functioning,' the report stated. The road through the island is part of an ambitious effort to develop it as a logistics hub, with an airport, container terminal, township, and power plant, at a total cost of ₹81,834.22 crore. The draft SIA , prepared by Ranchi based Atlas Management Consultancy Services Private Limited, also claims that the Shompen and the Nicobarese, the two tribal groups who reside and forage different parts of the island, have agreed to land diversion for the trunk road. 'These people from the tribal community had their opinion on the way they wanted to lead their lives. The Nicobarese were more affable in comparison to the Shompens. However, like their other non-tribal counterparts, people from these tribal communities stated that they were not averse to any development work in the island, including the proposed Trunk Infrastructure Road (main road and subsidiary roads) Project. As such, they preferred to settle along the coast line and for that they also used the present road network in the island,' the draft SIA added. It also claims that the road project will not impact their way of life. 'As none of the proposed roads were infringing on their way of life, they expressed support for the Trunk Project. They said that so long as living in the jungle in a natural surroundings, hunting and fishing was not adversely affected, they had no objection,' it said. The SIA has been conducted only for six revenue villages where private land is proposed for acquisition. A total of 80.0302 hectares of private land was proposed to be acquired for the said Trunk Infrastructure Road Project in Campbell Bay, Govind Nagar, Joginder Nagar, Vijay Nagar, Laxmi Nagar and Gandhi Nagar. According to a a notification issued by the directorate of social welfare, A&N administration on April 11, a total of 666.44 hectares is likely to be impacted by the trunk infrastructure. 'While the report gets into great details of private land to be acquired from the six revenue villages, complete with maps, nowhere does it give out any details about the extent of the road that passes through protected areas and Tribal Reserve areas,' said a researcher who has worked in the islands. 'The authors of the report claim to have conducted detailed deliberations with Shompen and Nicobarese but the Chairman of the Tribal Council is not aware of any of it. It says that none of the areas to be acquired are individually owned by the Shompen and Nicobarese, but that is because they each have their unique traditional land ownership systems which are supposed to be protected by the Andaman and Nicobar Islands (Protection of Aboriginal Tribes) Regulation and the Forest Rights Act,' added this person, asking not to be named. Anthropologists have cautioned that such a road project needs the consent of tribal communities and forest dwellers such as the Shompen and the Nicobarese who are likely to be impacted by it. 'It's important to understand how such a multi-infrastructure project impacts the Nicobarese and the Shompen. We know that the Andaman trunk route had a huge impact on the Jarawas, exposing them to several negative sides of tourism and access. Such a trunk route could erode the Shompen culture. If at all, a road can connect the Nicobarese and Shompen villages because they have a symbiotic relationship. It's also very important to have the actual consent of these tribal communities,' Anstice Justin, a Nicobarese anthropologist based on Port Blair said in May when HT reported that the Andaman and Nicobar Administration had invited financial bids to conduct a social impact assessment for land proposed to be acquired for the Trunk route. 'This is a draft report. Normally, 21 days time is given for public comments. All community members have been consulted,' said an office bearer of Atlas Management Consultancy Services. The draft SIA concludes that 'without any doubt t, the proposed acquisition of 80.0302 hectares of private land for the construction of the Trunk Infrastructure Road is beneficial to all stakeholders with minimal net adverse bearing on cost to any of them, if adequate and timely compensation is imparted to all the deserving stakeholders.' 'In the name of infringement on native and tribal life and exploitation of resources, the people of GNI cannot be abandoned to the vagaries of nature and left uncared for, to suffer impoverishment, deprivation and exploitation,' the report concluded. The A&N administration did not respond to queries from HT on how it plans to minimise the impact of greater exposure, tourism and traffic on the Shompen and Nicobarese. The Nicobar Islands fall within the Sundaland Biodiversity Hotspot, covering the western half of the Indonesian archipelago. Bhupender Yadav, union environment minister said in August last year that 'exemplary mitigation measures' have been incorporated in the Great Nicobar Holistic Development project to minimise the environmental impact of the project, 'keeping the strategic, national and defence interests' in mind.
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Business Standard
27-05-2025
- Politics
- Business Standard
Great Nicobar project: Ministry reviewing tribal concerns, says Jual Oram
Union Tribal Affairs Minister Jual Oram on Monday said his ministry is examining objections raised by tribal communities regarding a mega infrastructure project proposed on Great Nicobar Island. The project, titled 'Holistic Development of Great Nicobar', involves building a transshipment port, an international airport, a township and a power plant over more than 160 sq km of land. This includes about 130 sq km of pristine forest, home to the indigenous Nicobarese and Shompen communities, classified as 'Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups' (PVTGs). When asked if the ministry was investigating complaints from tribal communities regarding the project, the minister told reporters, "Yes, it is under examination. I had also answered a question (in this regard) in Parliament. We are currently examining the documents they have submitted. After that, we will decide the course of action." On further questioning about what the ministry seeks to ascertain, Oram said, "First, we need to determine whether the 'gram sabha' (tribal council in this case) was held, what the 'gram sabha' recommended and whether there have been any violations." Interestingly, during a discussion in the Rajya Sabha on March 12, Oram said he was not aware of any objections raised by the tribal communities of Great Nicobar to the project. According to media reports, the Tribal Council of Little and Great Nicobar had withdrawn the no-objection certificate (NOC) it had issued in August 2022 for the denotification of 84.1 sq km of tribal reserve and diversion of 130 sq km of forests, alleging that important information was not revealed while seeking NOC. A tribal council is a local elected body and its approval is important for land diversion and forest clearances, just like the gram sabha's approval. Around 853 sq km of the island's total 910 sq km is designated as a tribal reserve under the Andaman and Nicobar (Protection of Aboriginal Tribes) Regulation, 1956. In tribal reserves, the tribal communities own the land and have full rights to use it for their daily needs. However, transferring, acquiring, or selling land in these areas is strictly prohibited. For the safety and protection of the Shompen tribe, the Andaman and Nicobar Administration introduced the Policy on Shompen Tribe of Great Nicobar Island on May 22, 2015. Union Minister of State for Tribal Affairs Durgadas Uikey informed the Lok Sabha on December 12 last year that, regarding the Great Nicobar Island project, the Shompen Policy allows development proposals subject to due consultation with the concerned authorities, which has been done". "A&N Administration has informed that the project will not disturb or displace any Shompen PVTG," he added.
Hindustan Times
26-05-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Great Nicobar project: Jual Oram says his ministry examining objections by tribal communities
New Delhi, Union Tribal Affairs Minister Jual Oram on Monday said his ministry is examining objections raised by tribal communities regarding a mega infrastructure project proposed on Great Nicobar Island. The project, titled 'Holistic Development of Great Nicobar', involves building a transshipment port, an international airport, a township and a power plant over more than 160 sq km of land. This includes about 130 sq km of pristine forest, home to the indigenous Nicobarese and Shompen communities, classified as 'Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups' . When asked if the ministry was investigating complaints from tribal communities regarding the project, the minister told reporters, "Yes, it is under examination. I had also answered a question in Parliament. We are currently examining the documents they have submitted. After that, we will decide the course of action." On further questioning about what the ministry seeks to ascertain, Oram said, "First, we need to determine whether the 'gram sabha' was held, what the 'gram sabha' recommended and whether there have been any violations." Interestingly, during a discussion in the Rajya Sabha on March 12, Oram said he was not aware of any objections raised by the tribal communities of Great Nicobar to the project. According to media reports, the Tribal Council of Little and Great Nicobar had withdrawn the no-objection certificate it had issued in August 2022 for the denotification of 84.1 sq km of tribal reserve and diversion of 130 sq km of forests, alleging that important information was not revealed while seeking NOC. A tribal council is a local elected body and its approval is important for land diversion and forest clearances, just like the gram sabha's approval. Around 853 sq km of the island's total 910 sq km is designated as a tribal reserve under the Andaman and Nicobar Regulation, 1956. In tribal reserves, the tribal communities own the land and have full rights to use it for their daily needs. However, transferring, acquiring, or selling land in these areas is strictly prohibited. For the safety and protection of the Shompen tribe, the Andaman and Nicobar Administration introduced the Policy on Shompen Tribe of Great Nicobar Island on May 22, 2015. Union Minister of State for Tribal Affairs Durgadas Uikey informed the Lok Sabha on December 12 last year that, regarding the Great Nicobar Island project, the Shompen Policy 'allows development proposals subject to due consultation with the concerned authorities, which has been done". "A&N Administration has informed that the project will not disturb or displace any Shompen PVTG," he added.
