Great Nicobar project is a 'maha ecological disaster': Ex-environment minister Jairam Ramesh

New Delhi, Aug 23 (PTI) Congress leader and former environment minister Jairam Ramesh on Saturday described the Great Nicobar mega infrastructure project as a "maha ecological disaster" and alleged that it is simply being "bulldozed" through.

He cited his earlier conversation with the Union environment minister on the issue, where he raised concerns over the project, but lamented that it has not yielded any tangible results.

He also cited media reports to claim that fresh evidence suggests that the rights of local tribal communities under the Forest Rights Act have not been settled.

"The Great Nicobar mega infrastructure project is without doubt a maha ecological disaster. I have had exchanges with the Union Minister of Environment and Forests on this subject but the march of folly continues.

"Now comes fresh evidence that the administration has falsely claimed that the rights of local tribal communities under the Forest Rights Act, 2006 have been identified and settled and the consent of the affected tribal communities themselves has been lawfully obtained," he said in a post on X.

The Congress leader has been highlighting concerns over the Great Nicobar project, claiming that it is inimical to ecology and the rights of forest dwellers and tribals in the area.

"It has been abundantly clear for some time that the project is simply being bulldozed through," Ramesh said.

The project, titled ‘Holistic Development of Great Nicobar’, involves the construction of a transhipment port, an international airport, a township and a power plant spanning more than 160 sq km.

This includes around 130 sq km of pristine forest inhabited by the Nicobarese, a Scheduled Tribe (ST), and the Shompens, a Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group (PVTG), whose population is estimated to be between 200 and 300. PTI SKC SKC AMJ RT