Great Nicobar Island: Stage set for an excellent tragedy?

Decks have been cleared for development of a mega logistics hub at a strategic location in Andaman and Nicobar Islands, with the Centre granting atmosphere clearance for the bold mission and green-lighting diversion of greater than 130 sq km of forest land to construct transport and aviation infrastructures within the Great Nicobar Island.

The two clearances got here inside days, ignoring widespread criticism for the Rs 75,000 crore mission, with researchers red-flagging the shortcomings of the proposal and pleading to the federal government to hold out detailed impression evaluation surveys earlier than hundreds of tonnes of concrete and metal are poured in an idyllic and pristine island over the following 30 years.

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The Ministry of Environment and Forest on October 27 wrote to the Andaman and Nicobar administration granting approval (stage-1 clearance) for diversion of 130.75 sq km of forest land. This was adopted by granting the environmental allow on November 4. The approvals got here in two parallel and impartial processes with the ministry asking the Andaman and Nicobar Islands Integrated Development Corporation to stick to 37 situations earlier than the forest land may lastly be handed over to it (stage-2 clearance).

While the paperwork seems to be so as, environmentalists have raised questions over web site choice and the best way Narendra Modi authorities rushed via the mission in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The course of started in September 2020 with the NITI Ayog issuing a name for proposal. Subsequently, two personal companies, AECOM India Pvt Ltd and Vimta Labs, have been employed as consultants. The atmosphere impression evaluation report they ready attracted sharp criticism due to a number of deficiencies (as an illustration, there was just one biodiversity specialist within the evaluation workforce and journey to the positioning was restricted because of the pandemic), however the identical was relied upon by the ministry specialists to grant approvals.

“This project needs to be viewed through a different lens because of its strategic importance. A high-powered committee has been embedded in the project to ensure the ecology is not affected adversely,” an official informed DH. Sources mentioned that Zoological Survey of India, Wildlife Institute of India and Salim Ali Centre for Ornithology and Natural History have been introduced in to guard the island ecology from the mission impression.

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But the environmentalists will not be satisfied. “Though it is one of the world’s greatest biodiversity hotspots, scant regard has been paid to the impact of the proposed projects. The Wildlife Institute of India carried out a Rapid Assessment study over a few days and the Zoological Survey of India conducted a baseline study and site appraisal even before the Terms of Reference were issued by the Ministry,” Debi Goenka from Conservation Action Trust wrote in a letter to the island administration.

The Bombay Natural History Society additionally expressed its reservations. “The Andaman and Nicobar islands are amongst the greatest biodiversity hotspots on earth. The EIA (environment impact assessment) report is not adequate. (The) BNHS recommends a fresh EIA be conducted with three seasons data and proper terms of reference.”

Many others additionally requested the federal government to pause and rethink the mission, making an allowance for critical environmental issues and vulnerability from earthquake, tsunami and volcanic eruption. The authorities doesn’t appear to be in a temper to hear. However, with two authorities approvals in place, a authorized problem can not be dominated out.