Simrin Sirur | 4 Feb 2025 | Andaman and Nicobar Islands | Beyond Protected Areas
Three specialized monitoring committees have been established to ensure that the Great Nicobar development project adheres to the conditions outlined in its Environment Clearance. The project—encompassing an international trans-shipment container terminal, a dual military-civil airport, a township, and a solar-plus-gas power plant—is set to transform this UNESCO-recognised biosphere, despite concerns that nearly one million trees will be felled from its lush rainforest.
The Environment Clearance, granted in November 2022, mandated the creation of three oversight committees focused respectively on biodiversity conservation, tribal welfare, and pollution management. According to documents released by the Andaman and Nicobar Islands Integrated Development Corporation Limited (ANIIDCO), these committees held their inaugural joint meeting in April 2024. They are tasked with reviewing the project's environmental management plan, which includes developing conservation strategies intended to span a 30-year period.
To jumpstart the process, the Ministry of Home Affairs has sanctioned nearly Rs. 800 million for the first year of field studies and conservation plan development. Wildlife experts, including representatives from the Wildlife Institute of India (WII), stress that at least two years of detailed field surveys are essential before comprehensive conservation plans can be finalized. These studies will focus on sensitive species such as leatherback sea turtles, saltwater crocodiles, and Nicobar megapodes, whose habitats could be significantly affected by the project.
While no construction work has commenced yet, ANIIDCO has already issued expressions of interest for activities like tree enumeration and subsequent felling, indicating that township development might begin in phases as early as 2025. The township’s detailed master plan remains under preparation, and similar steps are underway for the international transshipment port, though parts of the port’s development are currently under dispute in the National Green Tribunal due to coastal regulation concerns.
Plans for tribal welfare are also moving forward. The project area includes 84 square kilometres of tribal reserve, with proposals to re-notify 7.11 square kilometres elsewhere on the island to accommodate development. Welfare measures—covering housing, education, skill development, and geo-fencing—are being drafted for the indigenous Nicobarese and the largely uncontacted Shompen communities. Although members of the tribal welfare monitoring committee have expressed satisfaction with these plans, concerns remain regarding the impact of geo-fencing on the Shompen’s traditional way of life and their right to free movement.
As the monitoring committees begin their deliberations, key questions persist: Will the project pause until comprehensive field studies are completed? And what powers will these committees wield in enforcing compliance if environmental or social safeguards are breached? ANIIDCO representatives have yet to provide detailed clarifications, and inquiries on these points remain unanswered.
With a total projected expenditure of over Rs. 9,000 crores for conservation, pollution management, and tribal welfare over 30 years, the Great Nicobar development project is a high-stakes test of balancing rapid infrastructure growth with long-term ecological and social sustainability.
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