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Centre Acknowledges Biodiversity Risks for Great Nicobar Project
The Union government has submitted a report to the National Green Tribunal (NGT) stating that it is aware of the biodiversity impacts posed by the mega-infrastructure project on Great Nicobar Island (in the Andaman & Nicobar Islands), and has laid out steps to mitigate them. The dossier was filed ahead of a scheduled NGT hearing on possible environmental clearances.
Reports say the government earmarked around ₹ 80 crore for conservation measures and said the project’s ecological risks are being addressed through a “holistic package” involving forest compensation, coral transplantation and protection of endemic species.
Project Scope and Environmental Concerns
The development plan comprises a container terminal, dual-use airport, township and power plant spanning roughly 166 sq km. Environmentalists warn that it threatens rainforest, coral reefs and nesting grounds of the giant leatherback turtle. The government contends that the diverted forest clearance remains within legal limits and that conservation efforts will begin immediately.
Expert groups, however, maintain that baseline data for three seasons was not collected as required under the Island Coastal Regulation Zone (ICRZ) norms, and that a portion of the infrastructure falls in ICRZ-IA (no-development zone).
Oversight and Next Steps
NGT has asked the Centre to furnish the full high-powered committee (HPC) report for scrutiny and to demonstrate how legal safeguards will be enforced on the island. The government has assured compliance and said that once the report is vetted, public disclosures of the mitigation actions will follow.
