Days after the union government defended the Great Nicobar Project, describing it as a strategic and economic initiative aimed at transforming the island into a major maritime hub, senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh once again expressed dissatisfacion with the government over of the handling of the project.
He urged the Ministry of Tribal Affairs to ensure strict legal compliance with the Forest Rights Act, 2006.
In a letter addressed to Tribal Affairs Minister, Jual Oram, Ramesh argued that the project proceeds in direct violation of the Forest Rights Act (FRA) and the rights of the indigenous Shompen and Nicobarese communities.
Referring to the Minister's response, Ramesh contested the administration's claims that tribal interests are being protected and that no tribal displacement is occurring. He noted that large swaths of protected forest and ancestral land are being diverted for the project.
He also highlighted several procedural and legal failures, most notably the lack of informed consent from the affected tribes.
"I wish to remind you that your ministry had issued an No Objection Certificate for the above de-notification on November 18, 2020 subject to compliance with the FRA, 2006 and the order of the Ministry of Environment & Forests dated August 3, 2009 that clearly identifies the process to be followed to ensure informed consent of the tribal communities before diversion of forest lands. That process has not been followed," he wrote in the letter.
"There is little truth in the assertion of the Andaman & Nicobar administration that no tribal habitation is to be displaced for the project. It is a fact that the total forest area to be diverted for phase I is 130.75 Sq km and these forests form part of the tribal habitat, used by the Shompen and encompasses the traditional lands and villages of the Nicobarese. Even maps published by the project proponent's consultant AECOM have marked "location of Shompen tribes" within the project boundary. A few Nicobarese villages have also been marked on these maps," he added.
The administration incorrectly obtained "consent" from non-tribal settler communities, adding that a conflict of interest exists because the officials representing tribal welfare are also overseeing the project's development, Ramesh alleged.
Furthermore, he criticised the Ministry of Tribal Affairs for allegedly failing to perform independent assessments, relying instead on the administration's own claims, and for attempting to distance itself from ongoing legal challenges in the Calcutta High Court.
"It is obvious that the Ministry of Tribal Affairs has simply accepted these facts and claims Andaman & Nicobar administration on face value and did not seek any explanations. In the affidavit, the Ministry of Tribal Affairs asked that it be "removed from the list of respondents" in the matter. This is most inexplicable, to say the very least. It is unfortunate that in your reply, you are tainted on the same set of claims of the Andaman & Nicobar administration without any independent assessment as the nodal ministry responsible for the protection of the interests of tribal communities," he wrote in the letter.
He thus requested the Ministry to take a proactive, transparent stance to uphold the legal protections mandated by the FRA.
The project, according to the government, seeks to leverage the island's proximity--around 40 nautical miles--to the East-West shipping route and reduce India's dependence on foreign transshipment ports while serving defence and national security objectives.
It further stated that only 1.82 per cent of the island's forest cover would be diverted, and compensatory afforestation would be undertaken over 97.30 square kilometres.
The Centre has maintained that tribal welfare remains central to the project and said no displacement of the Shompen and Nicobarese communities has been proposed. It added that the project is aligned with the Shompen Policy of 2015 and the Jarawa Policy of 2004.
(With inputs from ANI)