NEW DELHI: At a meeting of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) on Wednesday, committee chairman and Congress MP KC Venugopal sought a report from Home Secretary Govind Mohan on the controversial Great Nicobar Project, which has been consistently opposed by Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, sources said.
The project has also faced criticism from environmental groups and opposition leaders over its potential impact on the island's ecology.
Although the issue was not listed on the meeting agenda, Venugopal said he raised it suo motu, citing its significance and concerns over the project's ecological impact. The intervention came during a briefing by officials of the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) on observations in the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) audit report on the establishment and functioning of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands Institute of Medical Sciences (ANIIMS).
According to sources, BJP MP Anurag Thakur objected when the chairman raised the Great Nicobar Project issue, arguing that it was not part of the committee's agenda and that the proceedings should remain confined to scheduled business.
Venugopal, however, said he was not seeking an immediate response from the Home Secretary.
"While accepting that he is not prepared for this subject today, it is my duty to make the Home Secretary aware that the committee has taken cognisance of this matter and would like to receive a brief report later on the situation in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands with respect to the Great Nicobar Project," sources quoted him as saying.
Venugopal is learnt to have raised concerns over the felling of an estimated 1.5 crore trees and the displacement of tribal communities because of the project.
"All this is being done to create commercial space for a few large private players. On one hand, the long-pending demand for the expansion of the naval base INS Baaz was put on hold. On the other hand, the Central government is hastily moving to commercialise the Andaman and Nicobar Islands," he is learnt to have told the meeting.
The Congress has consistently opposed the Great Nicobar Project, describing it as an ecological disaster. After his recent visit to the islands, Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi challenged the government's contention that the project is driven by strategic and defence considerations.
Gandhi alleged that claims surrounding the proposed transshipment port were misleading and that the project was aimed at benefiting a single businessman through the development of hotels and casinos on ecologically sensitive land.
Recently, Congress leader Jairam Ramesh wrote to Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal raising concerns over the proposed international container transshipment port at Galathea Bay in Great Nicobar Island. He sought clarification on the project's ownership structure, competition safeguards and government funding support.
During the meeting, sources said, Venugopal expressed concern over financial mismanagement and a 12-year delay in the construction of ANIIMS.
The PAC chairman also expressed displeasure over the absence of the Chief Secretary of the Andaman and Nicobar Administration from the meeting. Speaking to reporters later, Venugopal said the official had been asked to explain his absence.
According to sources, the MHA informed the committee that it serves only as the monitoring agency for the institute, which is administered by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.