Great Nicobar Island Mega-Infrastructure Project
Background and Current Developments
The Great Nicobar Island mega-infrastructure project, valued at ₹92,000 crore, involves developing parts of Galathea Bay, Pemmaya Bay, and Nanjappa Bay. It requires the diversion of forest lands traditionally inhabited by the Nicobarese community before the 2004 tsunami. The project includes the construction of a transhipment port, an airport, a power plant, and a township, requiring approximately 13,000 hectares of forest land.
Concerns of the Nicobarese People
- Members of the Tribal Council from Little and Great Nicobar allege pressure from the district administration to surrender their ancestral lands for the project.
- In a meeting on January 7, 2026, Tribal Council members were asked to sign a "surrender certificate," relinquishing their tribal lands, a request which they did not agree to without internal discussions.
- Tribal representatives expressed concerns that surrendering their land would deprive future generations of their heritage and ancestral territories.
- The Tribal Council, as the apex representative body of the Nicobarese community recognized as a Scheduled Tribe, is advocating for the rights and relocation of its members to their ancestral villages destroyed by the 2004 tsunami.
Administrative and Legal Proceedings
- There is a contention that the Andaman and Nicobar Islands administration misrepresented to the Centre the settlement of forest rights under the Forest Rights Act, 2022.
- The Ministry of Environment, Forests, and Climate Change has stated that compliance with conditions for Stage-I clearance is pending, including settlement of forest rights, before final project approval.
- Environmental clearances granted to the project are challenged before the National Green Tribunal (NGT), while forest clearance challenges are being heard in the Calcutta High Court.
- The Tribal Council and political figures like Rahul Gandhi have reached out to the Union Tribal Affairs Minister, seeking compliance with rightful relocation demands.
Actions and Future Considerations
- Further meetings with the Tribal Council and district officials are scheduled to discuss potential relocation of villages and land claims.
- The legal challenges regarding environmental and forest clearances await final hearings, potentially influencing the project's progression.
- Union Shipping Ministry plans "ground visits" for the project's International Container Transhipment Port segment as project approval nears.
