NEW DELHI: Senior Congress leader and AICC General Secretary (Communication) Jairam Ramesh on Saturday questioned the Centre’s claims that the proposed infrastructure project on Great Nicobar Island would not displace local tribal communities, pointing to what he described as a “fundamental contradiction” in official statements.
Citing a media report, Ramesh said the Andaman and Nicobar administration has drafted a “Comprehensive Tribal Welfare Plan” that includes provisions for the relocation of Nicobarese families likely to be affected by the project. He raised concerns over the need for such a plan if, as the government maintains, the project would not disturb or displace indigenous groups.
“The bulldozer moves on unmindful of the concerns of the local communities,” Ramesh said in a post on ‘X’.
He added that the existence of a relocation framework undermines the government’s assertion. “If the project does not displace tribes, then why is there a relocation plan? Clearly, the claim does not hold,” he said.
According to the report cited by the Congress leader, the draft plan proposes relocating Nicobarese tribal communities from areas impacted either by the project or by past events such as the 2004 tsunami. The document, prepared by the Andaman and Nicobar Islands administration, was circulated on March 13, 2026, for consultation with relevant departments and the Tribal Council of Great Nicobar.
The plan reportedly outlines an expenditure of Rs 42.52 crore over a 24-month period. It aims to facilitate the relocation of affected families “to their ancestral lands,” a move that has reportedly led to confusion and heightened concerns among local residents.
The Great Nicobar mega-infrastructure project has been under scrutiny from environmentalists and tribal rights advocates, who have repeatedly called for greater transparency and safeguards for indigenous communities.