Senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday said the Great Nicobar project at Campbell Bay in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands was "one of the biggest scams and gravest crimes against the natural and tribal heritage of the country". He said the project would entail the axing of millions of trees on 160 sq km of rainforest and called it "destruction dressed in development's language".
In a social media post after visiting Great Nicobar, the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha said, "I travelled throughout Great Nicobar today. These are the most extraordinary forests I have ever seen in my life. Trees older than memory. Forests that took generations to grow. The people on this island are equally beautiful -- both the Adivasi communities and the settlers -- but they are being robbed of what is rightfully theirs."
"The government calls what it is doing here a 'project'. What I have seen is not a project. It is millions of trees marked for the axe. It is 160 sq km of rainforest condemned to die. It is communities that have been ignored while their homes have been snatched away. This is not development. This is destruction dressed in development's language," he said.
"So, I will say it plainly, and I will keep saying it: what is being done in Great Nicobar is one of the biggest scams and gravest crimes against this country's natural and tribal heritage in our lifetime. It must be stopped. And it can be stopped -- if Indians choose to see what I have seen," Gandhi added.
The Centre says the Rs 81,000 crore project, which includes a transhipment terminal, a power plant and a township, will boost maritime trade, connectivity and security, and act as a force multiplier in promoting the geo-strategic and economic interests of the nation.
On Tuesday, Gandhi travelled to Campbell Bay in Nicobar district to meet tribal leaders opposing the project. A section of tribal communities has alleged lack of transparency, environmental risks, and continued neglect of tribal rights by the central government.
Gandhi, who arrived in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands on April 26, also criticised corporate influence in the Union Territory and stressed that development should prioritise local needs rather than corporate interests.
During his visit, he interacted with members of the Nicobarese tribal community as well as settler communities. He also visited Indira Point and paid tributes to former prime minister Indira Gandhi.
The tribal communities have alleged that they are facing considerable hardship due to the proposed project and have demanded that the central government take their concerns into account.
The Great Nicobar Island Project is a strategically significant initiative for India, with both economic and military importance. The island is being developed into a major port and transshipment hub, aimed at strengthening infrastructure on India’s southernmost territory, Great Nicobar Island, which is also home to Indira Point.
Geographically, the island is located about 40 nautical miles (74 km) from major international shipping lanes that pass through the Strait of Malacca, one of the busiest maritime routes in the world. The Nicobar archipelago is flanked by two key sea channels: the 10-degree channel, which separates it from the Andaman Islands to the north, and the 80-km-wide Six Degree Channel, which lies between Great Nicobar and Sumatra in Indonesia to the south.
(With inputs from PTI)
